About your farmers...
Founder and owner Chase Renninger opened Woodland Valley Farms in December 2016, taking the first step toward his dream of owning and operating a regenerative permaculture farm. Raised in Maryland, he found a passion for farming and ecology at a young age. To date, Chase holds a degree in Agro-Ecology and Sustainable Community Development and has had the privilege of farming in a diverse range of ecosystems---from the Hawaiian Islands, to the Arizona deserts, to lush deciduous Maryland terrain----South Carolina's hot, sandy soil is his new home. Chase opened Woodland Valley Farms with the goal of providing access to organically grown food that are free of chemicals, and filled with nutrients. He loves learning how to be a better rancher and he loves his dogs. When he's not fixing the tractor, building barns or moving cows, he likes to find fresh water springs, research medicinal healing herbs and plant fruit trees. He also does consulting for other farmers, in addition to health and wellness coaching.
Allyssa Ferguson joined the farm after getting her boots dirty farming in the Atlanta area. She worked in fabulous restaurants and wanted to try her hand growing the food she had been serving for so long. After lots of trial and error, she finally learned how to successfully grow excellent chicken and pork. Her pastured chickens follow her around and her pigs are so friendly, they roll over for belly rubs. She specializes in raising Berkshire and Ossabaw pigs for their lovely marbling and foraging ability. As the resident "pig mom" and "mother hen", she looks after the pigs and chickens from their first day until their last one. In addition to managing the farm, she spends any shred of free-time learning new butcher techniques, charcuterie, food preservation methods and soap-making. She also loves to grow flowers, rollerskating and take the dog pack on long, long four wheeler rides.
She currently is freelance writing and running a digital marketing company called "Millennial Shepherd Marketing." You can learn more about that below.
