Ashlan Holland caught up with me to talk about Holly Knoll Farms in between fixing frozen pipes on the farm and her “day” job as the Soil Conservationist for NRCS in Newport.
No matter the weather, farming is a 24/7 and 365 days a year labor of love. “My parents used to joke that we only took a vacation if it involved showing cattle,” she laughs.
Extreme weather was what introduced Holly Knoll Farms to the Appalachian RC&D Council. Their prime pastures where they graze their grass-finished beef cattle border the Nolichucky River in Greene County. Hurricane Helene’s rising flood waters caused damage never imagined. 6,000 linear feet of fence – that’s more than 1 mile – was washed out. The flood waters left behind piles of debris, and silt beds so deep it has transformed pasture they once depended on for their livestock management. Insurance and government programs don’t cover these losses.
We now know that Holly Knoll Farms is one of 1,300 estimated farms in East Tennessee flooded or elsewise damaged by the Hurricane, with a staggering $1.5 billion estimated in recovery costs. Appalachian RC&D Council is humbled to be able to offer grant awards from a Resilient Farmer Fund to these local farm businesses (applications are now open for farmers; we are also still taking donations in order to help more farms).
Ashlan Holland’s brother Dane was recipient of the Resilient Farmer Fund’s first round of small grants in December 2024.
They’re not about to give up.
“You talk about agriculture, I was born into it, I work it, I’m married to it. I live, work, breathe and eat agriculture,” says Ashlan.
The family farm along the Nolichucky River has been in the family since the 1800’s. Today her niece is the 5th generation to live on the farm. Ashlan’s parents raise black angus beef cattle. Dane runs a commercial dairy operation. Ashlan works full time helping other farms as a USDA NRCS Soil Conservationist, and on the farm, she raises cattle, pigs, and runs the Farm Store.
When I asked her how the community can best show their support and help them recover post-flood, she replied, “Visit the Farm Store on Saturday mornings!”.
The Farm Store, at 1215 Brown Springs Greeneville TN 37743, offers not only Holly Knoll Farm beef and pork but also products from six other local farms that round out the offerings to include pastured poultry, pastured lamb, eggs, local honey, jams, and other goods. Updates at https://www.facebook.com/HollyKnollFarms.
You can also support them at their online store. Holly Knoll Farms can raise custom beef to be grass finished or grain finished. Cuts and butcher orders are available online at their website for pick up.
The image above signaling “SUPPLY CHAIN” tells it best: from one field, to you.
[Images below: The Holland Family of farmers; Ashlan is second from right. Holly Knoll Farms in the Nolichucky River valley.]
