SMYRNA, Tenn. (WTVF) — There are not many female-owned farms around the country.
Data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reveals 8 percent of the U.S. farms in 2022 were entirely female-run.
Lauren Palmer runs Bloomsbury Farm in Smyrna. I went there because I wanted to know more about her passion for farming. She has about 400 acres.
"We needed to do something productive with it," she said. "We needed to make it make sense to keep this in the family."
"This is all me," she added. "This is so all me. My dad, we like kind of plotted where we thought would be good growing ground and he comes from an orchid background, horticulture."
Prior to arriving at the farm, I knew Lauren's two kids were going to be there. When I got there, it was clear there were multiple elements of an amazing story.
Her two kids, 10-year-old Palmer and one-year-old Wren, were walking alongside their mom. The August sun was just starting to begin setting late on a Thursday afternoon. It wasn't overly humid or hot. It felt like one of the first days we were slowly turning that corner toward fall.
Seeing Palmer and Wren playing on the farm brought me back to my childhood. I didn't grow up on a farm, but those late afternoons during those two weeks between camp and school are always somewhat nostalgic.
"This is what we do in the afternoon when the sun is going behind the hills," Lauren said. We'll come down here and just play. And then bed time is that much easier so thank goodness for 400 acres to get our wiggles out."
So this is what got me. Wren is at that age where you know what she's trying to say. She puts her arms up and utters something that sounds like the word 'back." Palmer bends down and puts Wren on her back and the two walk around the farm.
The moments were beyond wholesome — seeing these hopeful future farmers exploring what could belong to them one day. Watch the story in the player above to see these moments and they're truly heartwarming.
Lauren aims to grow veggies and herbs on the farm that you may not find in the grocery store. She grows a patty pan squash and lemon cucumbers. But she also grows things like eggplant and shishito peppers.
But again, if you haven't watched the story in the player above — I hope you'll find a smile on your face.
"They were also just, like, meant to be here," Lauren said of her two kids. "I think they're true farm babies."
Do you have a positive story you'd like to share? You can email me at Austin.Pollack@newschannel5.com.
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
