At East Willow Farm , you’ll meander down a long driveway until everything opens up and you see apple trees, a farmstand, perhaps some pigs snoozing the day away, and some pygora goats playing in their pen. Everything is holding it’s own, being exactly what it was made to be.
Kyla greets you in the farm store, filled with farm delights such as their own pork chops, sausages, and (if you catch it before it sells out) bacon. But their wonderful meat products aren’t the only thing you’ll find. They help support other local farms and business by bringing in local woodworking, pottery, baked goods, dairy products, and even quail and duck eggs!
Their most compelling product however is the warmth and welcome they provide. Kyla chats with folks who come in- some regulars, some new comers- treating each person the same- as if they belong here.
And Tom is no different in making a place of belonging. As he goes and checks on the pigs you hear him talking about a new feed blend that he is creating with the help of a local grain and hay grower. He has thought about his little herd and what their needs are. He’s expanding their fencing so their foraging area widens through a silvopasture method,
he’s taking soy out of their diet after researching how it impacts his meat (and his customers experience), and is constantly exploring new breeding methods to find “the best pig.” He cares deeply for the animals, even if they are under his care for just a short time. They are truly living the piggy life of their dreams.
And Tom and Kyla are transforming the property that they moved onto a couple years back. Where apple trees were, blueberry bushes will take their place. Honey bees are kept on the property to pollinate the veggies they’ll sell in the farm store. Turkeys and chickens join the farm to provide fresh poultry to customers. More projects will find their way onto the property as it begins to take shape into the farm home they want to make it with their children. And it is a home that welcomes so many, whether it is supporting other local growers, makers, food lovers, or you- as you wander into their farm store, are greeted warmly by Kyla and fill your arms with the local goods that many hands have brought together to help feed the community in Columbia and beyond.
