Farm Friends is an informal monthly gathering that encourages small farmers and others interested in agriculture to form a tight-knit community. The group shares stories, tips, what works and what doesn't.

“It has been tremendous in just connecting with other people who are working toward the same goal, because being new in the area it's been really hard to connect with other people,” says Cari Adkins, a farmer in Summerdale who raises heritage pigs. “They're so open and willing to help, and everybody just wants to do what they can to help everybody succeed. I've felt very welcome, and everybody's made it a positive experience.”

Many members of the group sell the same products, but Frances Chancery says the market for locally-produced meat, eggs, vegetables and other products is far from saturated.

“A lot of us are competitors, but when you have a customer base that is large, you really don't have competitors,” she says. “We've got to start a generation that wants to get back into farming, or we're all going to be reliant on these large corporations to provide us with food.”

The group is also interested in educating community together. They want to travel to schools around the county to teach children about agriculture as well as host field trips to their farms.

Want to attend a meeting?

NAME: Farm Friends

PURPOSE: Connect small farmers in Baldwin County

MEETING TYPE: Informal

FREQUENCY: Monthly

LENGTH: One to two hours

CONTACT: Frances Chancery, 251-895-9165