About Us

History of the farm . . .

Our farm began as a seed in Katie’s mind when she was just a youth in the heart of the natural, "green" food movement in Berkeley, California. She's always had a passion for healthy, delicious food, for working outdoors, and for sustainable living and in 2003 signed on as a livestock intern at the Heifer Ranch in Perryville, Arkansas. At the Heifer Ranch, Katie learned more about sustainable livestock production, rotational grazing, and helped with grant-funded research projects. What started as a farm adventure and a curiosity in food production developed into a passion for the endless challenges of farming and Katie started Farm Girl Natural Foods on leased land in 2004.

Betsy grew up on a small farm in Ashland, VA where her farming experience began by picking potato bugs and chasing loose pigs with sticks from the apple tree. She rediscovered this early love for agriculture when she became a livestock volunteer at the Heifer Ranch in Perryville, AR in 2003. Since that time she has worked at Brookview Farm in Manakin-Sabot, VA where she cared for 700 organic pastured laying hens and market garden in 2004 as well as managed Heifer Ranch’s 40 share CSA organic garden, pastured broilers, and free range laying hens in 2005. She has recently received her bachelors degree in Poultry Science from the University of Arkansas, and is currently working part time for the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT). She enjoys toiling in the soil, playing with chickens, and providing nutritious and sustainable food for herself and others.

Mary Christine, otherwise known as MC, grew up outside of Hartford, Connecticut, and always enjoyed playing outside. In high school she visited Heifer Ranch, which was her first exposure to gardening and farming. This life changing experience led her to the University of Vermont where she received her B.S. in Environmental Studies in 2004. Since then she has spent time working on a variety of farms, including interning at City Slicker Farms in Oakland, California in 2006 and managing the Heifer Ranch CSA Program in 2007. For the past year she has lived in Little Rock, working at a florist and in the Horticulture Department at the Little Rock Zoo. She also works with the Backyard Garden Project, installing raised bed gardens in the yards of Little Rock food pantry clients. She is very excited to get back to the land in 2009 and to the most important task of growing food.

Katie, Betsy, and MC look forward to sharing the bounties of their farm with customers new and old in 2009 and beyond!

Katherine Short
Farm Girl Natural Foods
3 Lexie Lane
Perryville, AR 72126
Katie@farmgirlfood.com
Phone: 501-215-0419