Bentley and Brooklynn stopped to visit Mom at the Mt. Union Farmer’s Market (2017)

Our Story

     Farming and gardening has been in our DNA since we were both little. Jill lived just a short walk through the woods to her grandparent’s farm and helped to bale hay, pick potatoes out of the field, and snapped a many of green beans on their front porch as a kid. Brad grew up on the dairy farm where we are currently farming and living at, which now makes us 7th generation farmers. Brad always saw gardening as a challenge and was always proud of seeing the fruits of his labor. He often grew things that he didn’t even like to eat, just so he could give to others.

     When Brad and Jill started dating in 2006 they spent a lot of time on the farm, so it just seemed natural to continue gardening and canning (a dying art in younger generations). At our wedding our pastor even referenced 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 to our love of gardening and in our ceremony gave us a pumpkin seed. We planted that seed that year and it has produced many pumpkins for us since.  Over the years we have also been raising a number of cows, pigs, and chickens to butcher for ourselves as well as close family and friends.

     Our kids (Bentley-11, Brooklynn-9, Bauer- 5) love being on the farm helping Pappaw (Brad's Dad) feed the animals, go for tractor rides, and ultimately play in the dirt from the garden.  It’s a joy seeing them learn life through farming. We hope that one day they appreciate all the hard work that goes into farming and will want to continue the farm as the 8th generation.  

Excerpt of Brad and Jill's Wedding Ceremony May 29th, 2010 referencing-- 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Fun Facts about the Farm

  • The name “Minestream” is derived from an old Iron Ore Mine that is located on the property and runs 1.5 miles each direction in the mountain.

  • The Starr (Stair) Trail starts on the property and was the only path into Orbisonia at the time.

  • The East Broadtop Railroad (EBT) one of the nation's oldest and best-preserved narrow-gauge railroads use to run right in front of the farm. It has now open operations again to tourist, so if you are a train or history buff go check it out. We know on a clear night you can hear the train whistle blow carry over the mountain!

  • The original barn burnt down in 1959. Which lead them to build the unique shaped ‘hoop’ barn that stands today and can be seen in our logo. In January 2020, we had a small fire in the barn thankfully it was nothing major!

  • The Spring house on the property is original to the 2nd generation. Brad’s grandmas was always curious as to why I liked taking photos of all the “old” stuff on the farm.

  • Brad’s father (Phil) purchased the farm from his parents in 1974 and milked cows until “retiring” in 2014. He continues to raise Diary Heifers for a neighbor and harvests crops (corn, soybean, and sorghum) to name a few.