Hornsby Farms, LLC

Many people have asked us about how and why we farm. This question has many answers and all are equally important to our story. This blog will be a place for us to share our story and share our joys, experiences, life lessons and hardships. Growing up my husband worked alongside his siblings, parents, and grandparents tending to their gardens and harvesting fresh vegetables from the land. A family rooted in faith and all things southern, they were a hard-working team encouraged by the fruits of their labor, love for each other and their faith that God would provide. Generations were born and raised on this land. Many a pea picked and countless hours shelling peas and enjoying the flavors of southern foods cooked to perfection by my late mother in law. I don't think I have ever met a more genuine woman who always had a seat at her table for anyone who needed a warm meal, an ear to listen or a dose of reality. She had a passion for teaching and was an incredibly patient and loving one. She taught my husband how to preserve the bounty of the seasons and taught me how to make a mean biscuit! After Josh and I had been dating a few years I asked him when he thought we might get engaged. His answer was as soon as you can make a biscuit like momma. So off I went to Nannette's house to learn the art of making biscuits. It took a while for me to get it right. There were quite a few bad batches but I eventually got the hang of it and soon after he proposed. 2 months before we married she passed away. While she never got to see us walk down the aisle she was there with us that beautiful day on the lake. There are so many lost moments in my mind, things I wish I had known about her, wished I had asked her to teach me and times where I wish we could have just slowed down and enjoyed the evening breeze a little longer under her beautiful lighted trees. She was and still is a huge part of why we do what we do and why we love doing it! This summer when you visit you will drive by the home  she raised her children in, the home she welcomed strangers into for a warm meal,  the home she taught her children how to farm and preserve, the home she taught me how to make biscuits in, the home she played with her grandchildren in and the home that was the heart of her family. You will pass by and walk through the fields where she raised 3 amazing children and spent countless hours planting, harvesting, and preserving. When you see our beautiful sunflower gardens emerge I hope you are reminded of her. I imagine her beaming with pride over what we are doing at the farm. I would love to be able to bounce ideas off of her and have her cheer us on and preserve our harvest together. As I reflect on how far we have come in our journey as a farm family I am constantly in awe of God's timing, His purpose for our lives and the people and opportunities he continues to place in our path. Many years ago, generations before my husband, a seed was planted and a family took root in Little Texas. I am so thankful to the farmers before us who tilled the way for us to begin our journey as a farm family. We use a method of farming called plasticulture. What this means is each row is a raised bed with a layer of plastic over it. Under the plastic is a drop line irrigation tube that feeds water directly to the roots of each plant. This method increases yield, increases water absorption, decreases weed growth and decreases water waste. Between each row, we leave enough space to get the tractor through it to till up the dirt and keep weed growth down. Months before harvest time we prepare for each season by placing our seed orders. Once our seeds arrive the fun begins! Each plant is started from seed and hand planted into plug trays. These plug trays are kept in greenhouses to keep them safe from the elements. Once they are strong enough and the weather is right we transplant them to the fields by punching a 2-inch hole into the plastic and place them in the soil. From there