Today we’d like to introduce you to Ali & Wesley Lightfoot.
Hi Ali & Wesley, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Our story really just started with a simple dream, to live a little slower, raise our kids around animals, and know where our food comes from. I’m Ali, and with my husband,Wesley, run Lightfoot Farmstead. What began with a few backyard chickens has slowly grown into something so much bigger than we ever imagined. We started selling our excess eggs and a few jams and jellies then added raising beef, pork, chicken, milk cows, and became a source for other local goods. Over the years, we’ve worked diligently on our mission to to connect our community to locally sourced food and handmade goods. Our farmstead bus has become a fun way for folks to shop local, grab farm-fresh finds, and see what small farming really looks like. It hasn’t been easy, but every bit of it has been worth it.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road. We have faced some major challenges along the way. We had our processing facility that we worked so hard to build burn, we have lost milk cows, beef cows, chickens, faced start up cost issues, and the weather. In farming we deal with all the typical issues of a “regular business” but then add in live animals and weather and it gets even more interesting.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We raise meat on pasture. This is different than what you get in the grocery store. Our animals graze as the Lord intended for their entire lives rather than being confined to the indoors or a feed lot. Our beef is pasture raised, grass fed, grain finished. SO they get to graze on grass their entire lives and then we do feed them grain about 150 days prior to going to the butcher. Our pigs are rotationally grazed and we feed them grain along with LOTS of spent produce (produce that is no longer sellable) from a local farm. Our chickens are rotationally grazed and fed a non-gmo feed that is also corn and soy free. We raise our animals in a way that we are proud of what we produce and we are proud to feed it to our family as well.
Along with raising high quality meat we also make unique jams and jellies. We make hibiscus jelly, corn cob jelly, blueberry lemon jam, and a variety of other flavors that you cannot find at the store.
Now, we can’t raise and make everything so we also partner with other local farms and producers to purchase things we can’t or don’t make. For example we partner with Flowers Creamery Cheese out of Ethridge TN to have cheese on the farmstead bus and Banks Rice out of MS to have rice and grits on the bus! We are all about supporting local businesses and farmers.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Get out there and show your face! People want to meet the people raising their food or making the item. Show up at markets even if you don’t have a lot and be willing to educate people about your product!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lightfootfarmsteadtn.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightfootfarmsteadtn
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lightfootfarmstead1/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lightfootfarmsteadtn
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@lightfootfarmsteadtn
