Southern Hospitality and Good Company- 2024 Community Event Kicks Off in Rogersville

Tim Honeycutt owner & operator of Honeycutt Hill Farms LLC in Rogersville, TN

The morning started with the loud buck wheat calls of the guinea fowl. One of the best security and anti-tick systems in the bird world, their loud screeching noise triggered the Jersey Giant Roosters to crow, and the Muscovy Ducks to hiss and shake their tails. The Dodson Creek Community Market and Animal Swap inaugural 2024 market was off to a remarkable start despite the cold and windy weather. The noisy guinea fowl brought good attention to farmer Lacey Richards and her family from A&L Farm. They were the first vendor to sell out and get to go home and warm their toes.

Lacey Walker & Family of A&L Farms with their guinea fowl. Image by Kanoelani Achi.

Walnut Hill farm lined up their tables with pickled beets and a colorful array of canned foods. This Tennessee family from Greenville incorporates their love for the land and generations of knowledge into their amazing products.

Walnut Hill Farm from Greenville, TN. Image by Kanoelani Achi.

Multi-instrumentalist Kris Wahl brought an intimate atmosphere to the bustling market. Wahl, a seasoned busker who has traveled and played on street corners and sidewalks across the nation, expertly crafted a series of melodic vibes that brought peace and tranquility to our Appalachian countryside.

Kris Wahl setting the mood for our country market with his smooth vibes. Image by Kanoelani Achi.

The Dodson Creek Market was graced with the presence of several Eastern Tennessee elders who are known to be master artisans in their craft. Debi Harnish and her husband Darryl brought their handcrafted wooden baskets, Sita Loop brought her lifelike animal portrait paintings & pressed flower art, leather worker Bobby Solis from the Kiowa Nation brought his Native American medicine bags & friendship feathers, and Deborah Marsh brought her beautiful wood burning art and custom-made wooden frames.

Master Artisans Daryl & Debi Harnish & their handcrafted hardwood baskets. Image by Kanoelani Achi.

Master Fine Artist Sita Loop and her beautiful portraits, pressed flower art, and hand painted wood earrings. Image by Kanoelani Achi.

Master Leather Worker Bobby Solis of the Kiowa Nation selling his medicine bags & friendship feathers. Image by Kanoelani Achi.

Master Artist Deborah Marsh & her lifelike creatures cradled by handcrafted wooden frames are straight out of a Fairy Tale! Image by Kanoelani Achi.

Patrick Fraley from Terrill Creek Cattle Company set up his trailer carrying freezers full of his locally raised grass-fed beef. This 7th generation Tennessee farmer understands the importance of beef and community. Fraley, a former principal of Cherokee Highschool started his business during semi-retirement. “I’ve been raising cattle my whole life,” Fraley said. He told me about his granddad and how he started helping at a young age fixing fences and feeding the cows hay during the winter.

Braving the frigid weather conditions, Fraley’s warm smiles and welcoming personality brought an array of folks eager to try his antibiotic and hormone free rib-eye steaks and ground beef. He works with other local farmers by paying a fair price for their weanlings, “I know how they raise their cattle,” he said, “I can tell you where it’s been its whole life.”

Fraley’s goal with Terrill Creek Cattle Company is to give folks the opportunity to have good farm fresh beef, at an affordable price, that people can enjoy. He still raises cows the same way his family has been doing it for generations.

His son, Augustus, a teacher, and coach for the Cherokee Chiefs baseball team is following in his father’s footsteps. The Fraley family has generously donated their beef to feed the baseball team and to help fundraise for things like bats, balls, and umpire fees.

Fraley, an advocate for vocational programs in Tennessee, works part time as a liaison for the school system and oversees the construction expansion projects for programs like machine tools, welding, industrial electricity, and industrial maintenance in several campuses around the area.

He expressed his concerns about meat shortages and told me that the United States has the lowest population of cows since the 1950’s. Fraley hopes that folks will understand the importance of maintaining quality land and good farming practices. He strongly believes that whether you’re raising vegetables or cattle, “Doing it the way it’s been done in years past is sometimes the best way to continue doing it.”

Fraley is in the process of getting their farm recognized as a Century Farm and his family has a long history in Tennessee. The road his farm is located on, Long’s Bend Road, comes from his grandmother’s side of the family (she was a Long). Fraley’s grandfather (a Greer) is a descendant of an original Volunteer who was given a land grant by the state of North Carolina.

Most of the beef found in grocery stores is imported from other countries or controlled by big businesses who are more interested in profit not quality. “Not everything is improvable with technology,” stated Fraley. He explained how cows were born to eat grass, not grain and grain byproducts, and those raised in CAFO farms (concentrated animal feedlot operations) tend to have high rates of sicknesses and nutrient deficiencies. The antibiotics and hormones given to cows in these facilities wreak havoc on their bodies and dangerous strains of bacteria and impaired digestion become prevalent.

The food we eat plays a huge role in our health. When you’re buying beef from Terrill Creek Cattle Company you can rest assured that your beef is raised on grass by local farmers who have quality farming practices. In addition, Fraley uses local meat processors in Bean Station and Tazewell who have high production standards and industry safeguards in place. “Food originates from land sources, not grocery stores,” concluded Fraley, “folks need to be more conscious of where their food comes from.”

Patrick Fraley of Terrill Creek Cattle Company sharing friendly smiles with neighbor & cattle farmer Chris Walsh of the Red Barn Farm. Image by Kanoelani Achi.

Visit Dodson Creek Farm Supply Community Market & Animal Swap every 3rd Saturday of the month to buy local products, support local people, and to keep your dollars in our local community.