Our Organization’s Focus on Sustainability
Second Harvest continuously looks for opportunities to improve the sustainability of our food sourcing and the quality of products distributed to our neighbors experiencing food insecurity in East Tennessee.
“In a world where many of us are removed from the sources of our food, our local farmers’ work stands as a vital link between the land and our tables,” says our Director of Development, Rachael Ellis. That’s why over the past several months, Second Harvest visited the 4 Tennessee farms of our newly instated Farm Advisors.
Continue reading as we highlight these 4 farms, each with their own retail storefront that you can support. We’re thrilled to be sharing all we’ve learned, seen, heard, and even tasted from each of these farm visits with the community!
Farm #1: Greeneview Farms & Greeneview Farms Market
On Friday, August 2nd, Second Harvest visited Greeneview Farms/Greeneview Farms Market in Campbell County, a family-owned/operated beef & produce farm with deep roots reflecting a multitude of generations and a focus on community. Featuring a lovely storefront, Co-owner, David Greene, says they hope the store can allow Greeneview Farms to be a “farm of the future” by selling localized products they can guarantee the source of.
“The convenience of a store, but with a localized dream,” says Tyler, David’s son. Co-owner Angela Greene wants folks to know they offer a lot more than just beef at the store – they even sell their own homemade butter. The friendly family operating Greeneview Farms strives to show the interested public the same behind-the-scenes of farming that we were openly shown.
In addition to being provided with the individual ingredients that make up their cow’s corn silage from the nutritionist himself (David), we were fascinated by the technical side behind selecting specific genetics from the herd prior to mating to ensure the best quality product and the presence of marbling in the meat.
Farm #2: Sweetwater Valley Farm
On Friday, August 23rd, Second Harvest visited Sweetwater Valley Farm in Loudon County, a 5,000 acre farm producing dairy, beef, and produce. Co-owner, John Harrison, is a 6th generation farmer and a 3rd generation dairy farmer. With 20 cheese varieties available at their on-site retail locations, SVF makes 300-400k pounds of cheese annually.
Learning about the cheese-making process was incredibly engaging – John says their cheddar ages for 5-6 months before it’s ready to be sold. SVF even let us tag along on a tour of their Robotic Milking Facility, which they give around 10k tours of per year.
“Our goal is to provide our customers with an extraordinary cheese experience,” says SVF. “More than that, we love to show our customers visiting the farm how the dairy industry feeds the world, and how Sweetwater Valley Farm plays a vital role in local and regional economies.”
John Harrison was named Tennessee Farmer of the Year in 2022 by multiple organizations.
Farm #3: Hickory Corner Farms
On Friday, September 20th, Second Harvest visited Hickory Corner Farms in Claiborne County, a farm producing a wide variety of products including dairy, beef, pork, lamb, and produce. Their charming storefront, which was surprisingly a tobacco barn just 1 ½ years ago, also features items from local bakers and crafters in a true locals supporting locals fashion.
Co-owner, Will Shipley, is a 5th generation farmer. It was at Hickory Corner Farms that we learned several interesting farmer facts from co-owner Ashley Shipley: Did you know that hair sheep shed their coat and don’t need sheered, much like cattle? Did you know that in the early 1900s, red-and-white cows were seen as taboo because people didn’t understand them? This was because red is a recessive gene in cows.
Hickory Corner Farms produces 6,000 gallons of milk per day, including 100% of Weigels’ milk according to Jim, Will’s dad. During our visit, we even got the chance to try their farm-fresh watermelon – arguably the best melon we’ve ever tasted.
“Farmers don’t retire, they just die,” says Jim. It is crucial to Second Harvest that we use our support to purchase from farmers with the ultimate goal of uplifting the economy of communities in our service area.
“Their tireless efforts and commitment to producing quality food are truly admirable and do not go unnoticed,” says Rachael, our Director of Development.
Some rural communities also face the issue of being what’s called a “food desert”: the closest large grocery store to Hickory Corner Dairy is in Kentucky. These are situations where Second Harvest’s rural routes come into play to bridge the gaps within our service area.
Farm #4: D&D Meats
On Tuesday, September 24th, Second Harvest visited D&D Meats, a beef farm and the processor for Greeneview Farms and Sweetwater Valley Farm. Out of only around 10 processors in TN, D&D Meats is the closest to us. Being a processer as well as a producer, it was here the Second Harvest team truly realized how far removed we are as a community from the process of where our food comes from:
Owner John Donaldson’s processing facility goes through full inspection 4 days a week – they even have an on-site office for the inspector. The inspector has eyes on each animal 3 times: from the field all the way through harvest.
We were intrigued by John’s 3 key principles:
- Effective and humane harvest
- Sanitation
- Life begins at 40 and ends at 140 (in reference to bacteria growth*)
D&D Meats has its own retail store in the same location as the processing facility, where John sells the hand-cut beef from his own cattle with the goal of developing a market for local products.
John’s favorite cut is sirloin – he likes to compare objectively lower cut products to one another. His philosophy is that if a cook can do something with a lower cut, that tells him about quality of the steak.
John stands by his stress-free cow’s approach; he says that when cows are stressed, that creates adrenaline and results in tougher meat. That’s why Jon moves cattle with just himself, no prods or even his voice.
John Donaldson of D&D Meats is a 2nd generation farmer, and is creating a legacy for his family through his dad’s vision.
A Multi-Generational Legacy of Sustainability
As we continue to learn more about each of these multi-generational farms, we reflect as an organization on how each of us in our East Tennessee community can continue a legacy of support for our neighbors experiencing food insecurity.
“I am grateful for our local farmers’ unwavering dedication to nurturing the earth and providing for our communities,” says Rachael Ellis, our Director of Development here at Second Harvest.
Kristi, our Sr. Manager of Strategic Giving, states that “generational farming is a fidelity to heritage, resilience, innovation, and sustainability.” Just like our Farm Advisors, you too can leave a legacy of sustainability by supporting Second Harvest as well as your local farmers.
If you’re interested in helping ensure the work of Second Harvest continues for generations to come, please consider exploring our planned giving options through our A.R. Johnson Legacy Society.
Address of each farm’s on-site retail:
- Greeneview Farms Market
- 294 Holstein Dr, LaFollette, TN 37766
- Sweetwater Valley Farm
- 17988 W. Lee Highway, Philadelphia, TN, 37846
- Hickory Corner Farms
- 2160 Sharp Rd, Speedwell, TN 37870
- D&D Meats
- 729 Peterman Bend Rd Celina, TN 38551
*The USDA recommends cooking ground beef to a minimum internal temperature of 160°F.