BRINGING THE FARM TO YOU: Tarheelbilly Farm offers diverse range of products

Published 6:44 pm Friday, September 27, 2019

WILLOW WOOD — For the past several years, Ben and Charis Walker have been running Tarheelbilly Farm in Willow Wood.

Ben, a native of the area, met his wife in La Grange, North Carolina, while he was stationed there for the U.S. Air Force. They married in 2007 and the two of them began microfarming on half an acre there.

“We had chickens, bees and a Jersey milk cow,” he said.

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In 2013, they moved to Lawrence County, where his family has a history of farming. His wife had a similar background.

“We both grew up farming,” he said.

They produce many things on their farm, where they live with their 8-year-old daughter Delaney.

“We’re multifaceted and try to be diverse,” he said. “We don’t want to put all our eggs in one basket.”

The family has 22 Tunis sheep, which Charis shears.

“She procures the wool and sends it off,” he said. “She ships raw fleeces and yarn.”

He said they have shipped wool products nationwide, as far away as Florida and Washington.

They also have two dozen hives of bees on their property.

“I manufacture and sell hives,” Ben said of the wooden boxes he produces.

They also produce maple syrup, which Ben says has expanded exponentially.

He started by tapping 15 trees a few years ago and now has 450 going.

He said maple syrup from the region is quite popular and they have to work to meet the demand for theirs.

“Maple syrup from trees in Appalachia tastes really good,” he said. “It’s always winning taste tests. I’ve had customers from Canada who say it’s the best syrup they’ve ever had.”

Walker said that their farm is not a “hobby farm” and that they both work on it full time, often putting in 10-hour days.

In addition to selling online, they regularly are present at the farmers market in Boyd County, selling things like goat milk soap. He said the Lawrence County Farm Bureau has been a big help, allowing them to network with others.

For instance, he said his wife was able to meet a local fiber guild through Judy Ross, of Good News Llamas, who helps organize the annual Bringing the Farm to you event. The Walkers will be set up there Saturday for this year’s show, selling products.

Walker also said their farm, while not certified organic, is chemical free.

“There are no fertilizers used or shots for the animals,” he said, stating they grow things like God does. “It’s holistic.”

For more information, visit www.tarheelbillyfarm online.