Hi there; I’m Ashley! Welcome to my little corner of the internet and to our farm, Abounding Acres, LLC. I am a wife, boy mom of 3, and lover of animals and plant enthusiast. I am so glad you are here. I have a passion for learning and teaching others so if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me on Facebook, Instagram, or via email at contact@aboundingacres.com
I wouldn’t be pursuing this passion or farming if it weren’t for my incredibly supportive husband, McKinley. We were married in May of 2015 and have three sons, Hudsen, Harper, and Holden.
how it all began
McKinley and I have always had a passion for agriculture and we knew that we wanted to have a farm someday. However, our farm is different than either of us could have ever imagined. We both grew up with a conventional view of farming. It wasn’t until we went to a free screening of “American Meat” when I was in college (M-I-Z) and I began to do more research that I began to understand the local food movement.
In one of my courses, I gave a persuasive speech on pasture-based farming being a viable alternative to conventional farming. For that speech, I decided to build miniature replicas of Polyface’s pasture-based shelters. I practiced that speech over and over to McKinley. Little did I know, that would challenge the way we both viewed farming and change our dreams for our future farm.
That speech also lead us to attend the last Polyface Field Day in July 2014. After that trip, we knew a pasture-based model was the way we wanted to move forward and have been dreaming ever since. At the time, we lived in a house just outside the city limits in Columbia, MO and we began growing food in our backyard garden, raising meat rabbits, and vermicomposting worms.
OUR FARM
In 2015, we bought our current house and approximately 10 acres. We had a few rabbits and added laying hens and started raising a batch of broilers every year. Fast forward to 2020, I started working from home and we decided to pull the boys out of daycare. We used those savings to put money into the farm. By the end of the year, we added four Nigerian Dwarf does, a Nigerian Dwarf buck, as well as a Kunekune gilt and boar.
We currently raise ADGA registered Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats, IKHR registered Kunekune pigs, pastured egg layers and broilers, and meat rabbits on 10 acres in mid-Missouri. We built a high tunnel in 2020 and look forward to building a market garden.
THANK YOU!
Thank you so much for stopping by Abounding Acres. We would love to have you join us on this journey! We share about farm happenings, projects, and other educational posts. Again, if you have any questions, please feel reach out to me via Facebook, Instagram, or by email at aboundingacresllc@gmail.com
