Our Family Farm LLC Learn what a real working farm is all about by Lauren Pigford At the turn of the 20th century farmers made up 40-50% of America’s labor force. Today farmers only make up only about 2.6% of the labor force. In today’s fast paced society, farming is seen as an American past time and an era that has been described to children in history books. However, in Olive Branch, MS the Neergaard Family and their farm, Our Family Farm LLC, give children the chance to learn what a real working farm is all about and how a farm is operated in today’s modern world. The Neergaards have a rich history in Farming, dating to the late 1700s. Originally settling and farming land in East Tennessee, Carolyn Neergaard’s husband’s family expanded throughout the Mid-South in later generations. For the last two years Carolyn and her family have been offering their working farm as a place where children can come to learn all about what farming was and is like. The Neergaards open their home and their farm to give educational farm tours. These tours include a hay ride and children learn about growing specific crops such as corn, cotton, soybeans, rice, and hay. They learn about the various kinds of farming equipment and are shown both antique equipment and modern equipment. The Neergaards also grow fruits, vegetables, herbs, and have a pollination garden. Throughout the tour children are not just shown equipment, crops, and produce. They learn about all of these things by getting their hands dirty. They have a wide variety of “you pick it” activities, including cotton, soybeans, rice, fruits, and vegetables. Carolyn explained how important it is for her to teach children about farming through hands-on activities. She explained how children learn about farming through interactive activities and how the children learn while having a lot of fun. Children also learn about farm animals and how they benefit farming. The Neergaards spotlight Angus cattle, Corrientte, and Longhorn cattle, which they raise on their farm, and also teach about Dairy cattle. Children learn about Tennessee Walking Horses and American Quarter Horses. The Neergaard family breeds and raises Quarter Horses on their farms. Their breeding ranch is near Chattanooga, TN and they have young Quarter Horses that are worked and trained at their home in Olive Branch. They teach not only about how horses are used on farms, but also about different riding styles, equipment and competitions. The Neergaards’ farm and home is about 15 to 20 minutes away from Memphis and three miles from Highway 385, making it very accessible to all areas in the Mid- South. Carolyn said she has had several school groups take field trips and participate in their educational and hands-on farm tours and she hopes to get more groups from Memphis and other areas where children do not know about modern working farms. The Neergaards also open their farm to the community. This fall during the weekends they opened their Halloween Corn Maze, Hay Rides and Pumpkin Patch to the public during the entire month of October. This is not just a farm with a fun atmosphere for educational needs, but also a place where families can come for fun activities on beautiful fall days. The Neergaards hold several events throughout the year for the public. Since Carolyn and her family have started their educational tours for school groups, plus community activities during the weekends, they have brought attention back to American Farming - what it was and is all about. Children have a place where they can go to learn about agriculture and farm animals, while having fun through interactive learning and hands-on activities. Not only do they open their home and family farm to the public, they also donate a portion of all the proceeds from tours to local food banks. Our Family Farm LLC and the Neergaards are known throughout the community for doing great community service and highlighting today’s modern farms and agriculture businesses with fun activities for both children and adults. To learn more about Our Family Farm LLC’s Educational Farm Tours and Community events visit their website: www.ourfamilyfarmtours.com and their Facebook page.