At 20 years old I, Kate Smith (formerly Tyson), knew I didn’t want to be stuck at the dead end desk job I was at. It was in the city and it wasn’t where I saw myself for the rest of my life. My parents and their business partners had owned the property for some time and we were pecking away at it here and there. Getting the yard cleaned up, we had Amish come and cable in the barn, re-doing the silo that is still here. And I had always loved being at the old barn. It had so much history and I enjoyed being outside and not stuck behind a computer. I knew this is where I saw myself spending my days.
I had just met my now husband in January 2015 and by the summer of 2015 I was able to quit my job in the city to focus on the property in Marcellus. We had just gotten the sheds in stock and was here most days selling. After a year of just doing that, in November of 2016 after (literally) years of blood, sweat and tears, we were able to open the store with the support of my parents and new husband.
We started out just selling farm supplies and a full line of Poulin Grain animal feeds. This has moved into so much more. We now sell Dry Creek Wood Pellets, and have our very own laundromat that I wash and repair horse blankets out of. We sell Christmas trees and wreaths in the winter, and I also make the Goat’s Milk Soap right here at the store.
We started with a herd of 12 goats that we acquired from a good friend that I am so grateful for. That herd QUICKLY turned into 37 when we started having baby goat kids in February 2018. I hand milked 11 does and bottle fed 25 kids all summer! It was tiring, but SO much fun. Like I said before, there was no other place I would rather be. We now have milk coming out of our ears! But that’s ok because I plan on making a lot of soap.
At the end of the summer David and I welcomed our first little one, Paige, and she gets to spend her days hanging out with ‘mom’ – and I get to savor these days while she’s still too little to have a say so! Tyson Farms is ever growing and we have so many plans for the years to come. Stop in and visit anytime, I’d love to see new people and show you around.