From Wannabe Vegetarian to Chicken Farmer

When I was 12, I told my dad that I wanted to be a vegetarian due to my concerns over animal welfare. He said that I could not be a vegetarian because I was still growing and needed animal protein but that I could be a pescatarian (vegetarian who eats seafood, plus eggs and dairy).

So I was a pescatarian from then until age 21, when I read Michael Pollan's classic, The Omnivore's Dilemma. In it, Pollan states that we humans have meat digesting enzymes for a reason. And my dad was serving local turkey burgers for dinner that night and thus ended my 9-year stint as a pescatarian.

Shortly after that, while getting my masters degree in Professional Writing and Editing at WVU, all I wanted to write about was sustainability, specifically as it related to food. My post graduate work included working on diverse vegetable farms while working for a nationwide nonprofit that aids small farmers.

My dad encouraged me to pursue farming because I was so drawn to it. Then he passed away suddenly in 2022, and I realized that we aren't here on this earth very long so I'd better get to meat farming!

In 2023, I tried to start the farm business with just 100 meat chickens, while being primary caregiver for my then 1-year-old, and working my nonprofit job. But there was not enough time to start a legit business so I got my toes wet, learned the basics, and provided whole birds to family and close friends.

Around the same time, I asked my husband if we won the lottery (which we don't play), if he'd keep his arboretum job. Without hesitation he said, "Yes, of course--I love my job." And that was the second kick in the bottom I needed.

I wanted the same answer to my own question but I'd been stuck in a rut at my small nonprofit job and needed a change. So I resigned from my 12-year spell at the non-profit and started Amelia's Farmette in January 2024. And it was harder and more costly than I imagined with all of the upfront costs, physical labor, work, and legalities. But it was (and is) worth it!

I now have the same answer to the question, "Would you keep your job if you won the lottery?" I love that my job builds soil, sequesters carbon, gets me outside often, and that I provide quality protein for your family and get to spend more time with my own family.