We are first-generation farmers raising grass-finished beef in Athens, Ohio.

Molly Sowash

While living in Minnesota during and after college, Molly spent a lot of time working on urban and rural farms, as well as teaching in the schools as a food educator. But the prospect of moving home and raising food on her family’s land in Athens was the first time she’d considered spearheading her own farming endeavors. In March 2020 she took the plunge and purchased eight Lowline Angus calves. Over their two years on the farm, they taught her so much.

Molly also works as the Sustainable Agriculture Program Manger for Rural Action, a non-profit in Appalachian Ohio that works to promote economic, social and environmental justice.

CJ Morgan

CJ grew up in northeast Ohio surrounded by farm country where he spent 8 years in 4H and worked on farms throughout high school. He moved to the Athens area for college and then spent 3 years managing Melody Holler Dairy Farm, where he learned the ins and outs of management intensive grazing. After spending a few years out west with the Forest Service, CJ decided to return to the hills of southeast Ohio with intentions of buying a piece of land and homesteading. This dream became a reality when he met Molly and she wooed him with her cattle.

CJ is a Forester with the Wayne National Forest where he manages woodlands for sustainable timber production, wildlife habitat, and oak ecosystem restoration.

Family

We could not do any of this without the support of our family. Molly’s parents, sister and brother-in-law help us regularly to haul water, break ice, move cows, unload bales, fix fences, and kick off the muck boots for a well-deserved break.

Together, we are inching our way towards the vision we have for this piece of land, for the revitalization of family farms, and for a future in which we bring our society into equilibrium with the natural world.