Why on Earth?

     Growing up, I was taught a love and appreciation for the outdoors by my father. We would go camping almost 7-8 times every year. My brother and I played in the woods behind our house for hours and hours every day. I would say I inherited my green thumb from my mother who currently boasts over 100 house plants in a house less than 2000 sq ft! My work ethic came from both my father and from my step dad. Seems like a grew up on a farm knowing all about crops and livestock right? Not at all. We grew up in the suburbs or cities and unbeknownced to myself, I yearned to see farm animals and cherished visiting any sort of farm just because I loved the atmosphere. I enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2004 and eventually made it to Monterey, CA. California, as a state, is very progressive in the realm of small scale sustainability and earth friendly practices. Hippies, as many would say. Eventually I made it to be stationed in the lower Sonoran desert out at Camp Pendleton, CA which is an hour north of San Diego. One of the biggest focuses in "So Cal" is water efficiency. Here I learned about xeroscaping, rain barrels, water catchment systems, tankless water heaters, solar water heaters, Photo-Voltaic home energy systems and so much more.I deployed twice to Iraq where taking a "Navy shower-" Turn the water on to get wet, turn it off within 10 seconds, soap up, rinse off in less than 1 minute- were mandatory. We brushed our teeth with non-potable water. Any time the wind blew, dust would pound our faces because there was no cover crop.

      After our stint in Southern California, we moved to Augusta, GA where we purchased our first house on .17 acres. I began learning a lot about energy star home building, radiant barrier insulation, mulching, composting, gardening, Becca loved our landscaping and what we were able to do. She didn't so much like how expensive it was. Eventually I began buying trees for the back yard. I used some evergreens to create a visual block between us and the neighbors, a couple apple trees to give us shade and apples and eventually we added a peach tree. Things were going great for us and I began pushing harder and harder until one day we decided to get some chickens. This was about the greatest thing that happened to us. We built our own chicken coop and had several backyard breeds that were just egg layers. We also got two chicks from the feed and seed just up the road. The boys were enamored. The chickens gave us healthy eggs, entertainment, and a greater sense of food/consumer responsibility. Over time, a group of chicken enthusiasts was created for the local area growing to about 25 in less than 6 months. There was such interest from people with other animals, we moved to facebook where today we boast more than 275 members. we exchange questions, advice, experiences, knowledge, and stories. We shared together and lost together. We sold together, we ate together. From this group, I began watching documentaries like "Fresh," "Food Inc." and "Farmeggedon." These are what ultimately fuel me to want to educate the consumer, the American, about the choices he or she is making when it comes to food, food safety laws, and the government that runs it all.