We are excited to offer pasture-raised products, collaborating with nature to bring you "food the way nature made it." A little about us…
We are Dara and Byron Burns. Born and raised in the mountains of Colorado we are Virginia transplants. Buds since meeting in 4H at the age of 12, we’ve known each other practically forever. We got married at the wise age of 19, shortly after we both graduated high school, and Byron joined the Army. We hopped on the first train leaving Colorado, and Clarksville, TN became our first home away from home while Byron was stationed there. After 8 years of Army life and the birth of our son, we headed back to Colorado for a stint. I earned a degree in zoology and Byron completed his degree in engineering. Then it was on to Virginia where we’ve been ever since. We fell in love with the friendly folks, mild climate, and lush, beautiful vistas from Virginia Beach to the Blueridge Mountains, and decided it felt like home. Despite living a fast-paced, suburban life for the last couple of decades, our roots always had us daydreaming about returning to the quiet countryside and starting a farm. The outside world began to shutter its doors, and suddenly, we no longer recognized our neighbors’ covered faces at the store as we scavenged the empty shelves. Working from home and having the necessities delivered to our doors became the new norm. While all of this was overwhelming and scary, it also offered some unique opportunities. Remote work brought the ability to live virtually anywhere. After 8 years right outside of Richmond, we packed up our stuff and drove until we found solitude on an empty, clear-cut, piece of heaven in the middle of central Virginia. Nearly a year after making that momentous decision, we are laboring away to bring the Purple Mockingbird Farm to life. Though a labor of love, a farm sure doesn’t happen overnight. It is difficult but fulfilling, sweaty but soul-feeding, back-breaking and sometimes stressful work. This project will evolve over a long time, maybe the rest of our lives. However, it is our dream to produce happy, healthy, delicious grass-fed beef and poultry, eggs, pork, honey, and lots of other delicious foods using regenerative agricultural practices. We go to great lengths to ensure everything we are doing will allow us to bring the best products possible to you and your family as well as ours, while improving the environment around us. Contrary to much of the anti-agricultural, eliminate-the-meat hype that seems to be having a moment right now, when farming is done in a way that mimics what nature intended, (e.g.: the ecosystem created by the bison which once roamed the American plains), it can actually heal the damage caused by many of the industrial agricultural practices that may currently bring the food to your table. Don’t get me wrong, it is true that MASSIVE damage has been done, and it is imperative that something changes. However, eliminating all meat-producing agriculture is NOT the right answer, and in fact, may do additional damage. Regenerative agriculture isn’t going to save the entire planet from certain destruction but…well, actually, it just might! ;). Whatever your opinion on the current state of the planet and what should or shouldn’t be done about it, there is a heck of a lot of data out there to indicate that food raised this way is just plain better for you and most folks, including Byron and me, will tell you it tastes better too! If you choose not to eat meat or animal products, that is your absolute right, but we aim to bring more awareness to the fact that doing it solely to save the environment is not necessary. Follow us to see our progress and be the first to know when our incredible products “hit the shelves”! Also, if you want to find out more about our wild journey, including the hilarious inspiration behind the Purple Mockingbird Farm’s unique name, follow our ridiculously entertaining blog at midlifecrisisfarmchronicles.com (don’t let the composting toilet post scare you away:)) and on Facebook at Midlife crisis farm chronicles.
