Harris Family Farms
Harris Family Farms includes Jim & Charity Harris and her daughters Ashly &
Burgundy. Jim & Charity Harris met November 13, 2003 and got married April 20, 2005 in
North Negril, Jamaica, West Indies. I promise I'll try to get some pictures from Jamaica online
this winter. We have an extremely happy marriage. We both have a love for all animals and our
small, but growing, farm is our combined passion.
James Harris grew up on a family cash-crop farm that has grown to over 500 acres. His parents,
Norman & Beverly Harris, grow grain corn for ethanol, winter wheat and soybeans. James
continues to help on their farm whenever needed. Both sets of James’ grandparents and one set
of great-grandparents were also farmers, starting with livestock and eventually switching to
cash crops.
Charity’s Mother was the district manager for Doctor Pet Centers in Louisiana & then California
when Charity was in high school. Charity performed almost all of the basic small animal care.
This included not just kennel cleaning & animal bathing but also shots, worming & diabetic care.
Charity spent two summers on her aunt’s hobby farm in Texas where she was able to care
for the horses and chickens. Charity helped train the ½ wild mustang ½ Quarter Horse foals that
her aunt bred and also trained neighbor’s horses for barrel racing. Charity competed in the
weekly rodeos, including barrel racing, pole bending and once even rode a Jr. Bull.
During the second summer she worked at the Bandara Racetrack as an Assistant Horse
Trainer.
We started with three Duroc pigs in December 2005 and added 6 Spotted and 7 Hereford pigs
spring 2006. In May 2006 we started selling our all-natural pork at the Poynette Farmer's
Market. Next year we will add more Farmers' Markets.
We bought our first chickens in August 2006. November 2006 we started trading farm labor with
an all-natural neighbor/friend for some more feeder pigs, a 2006 Hereford/Black Angus Bull and
some fixer-up chicken pasture pens. Starting in 2007, from Valentine's Day through Memorial
Day, we will receive our day-old ducklings, goslings, turkey poults and pheasant chicks.
For most of 2006, we both worked at two different Dairy Farms -- milking cows, pushing cows,
calf feeding and cleaning barns. Jim still works off of the farm (for now). Charity started taking
Master's classes in Sustainable Community Development with an emphasis in Sustainable
Agriculture and also substitute teaches in the Markesan School District.
Our next goal is to add goats, sheep and maybe a milk cow or two. Depending on financing, this
could be as soon as 2007 or might have to wait until 2008.
Organizations We are Members of:
