HAZEL GREEN, Ala. (WHNT) – Founded by two families (the Kings and the Reids) with a shared commitment to local food, Foundry Farms has grown from “two small homesteads” into a working family-run farm focused on responsibly raised, pasture-based products for the community.
Both families say their goal is to provide food customers can trust while prioritizing animal welfare, land stewardship and long-term sustainability.
“What began as a small idea has turned into a farm built on hands-on work and direct relationships,” Chance King says, adding that their approach centers on humane practices and methods they describe as “beyond organic.”
How and why did you get started?
Chance: Both families had the goal of one day being able to farm full-time. Joe and I both have full-time, off-farm jobs while Stephanie and Megan homeschool four children each. Joe is one of the pastors of our church. Stephanie is also fighting (and winning) brain cancer and recovering from a stroke. There wasn’t a ton of time left over to really grow a farm. We decided that if we worked together, we could make it happen. We officially launched in the spring of 2025.
Why did you choose to grow/raise what you do?
Chance: Each family just scaled up what we were already doing homesteading. Joe and Megan had already been building a dairy herd, and we (Chance and Stephanie) had started raising Belted Galloway cattle for beef. We were both raising Cornish-cross broiler chickens for our own families’ consumption. We just took what we knew and scaled up to sell directly to consumers. We raise microgreens because they are quick to produce, extremely nutritious, and easily scalable. Stephanie and Megan both love to garden so we’re scaling up our vegetable production to provide for our family and our customers.
What does farming mean to you?
Chance: I’m sure each of us would have a slightly different answer, but I think at the end of the day it gives us a chance to really be in tune with not just the creation, but the Creator. Farming has taught me how beautifully complex the earth that God created is. When you steward the land the way God designed, it’s amazing what you can do. When you realize how beautiful the land is, I, then, can only imagine how beautiful heaven is going to be.
If you could tell policymakers one thing about farming, what would it be?
Chance: Make it easier to get high-quality farm products into the hands of consumers. One of our long-term goals is to have a processing facility and farm store, but the regulatory requirements for processing beef and pork are extensive and cost prohibitive. We can appreciate that, on a large scale, a lot of those regulations are needed. However, if I’m looking into the eye of the person I’m selling a product to, you can guarantee that I’m not going to cut corners on making sure that our products are going to make someone sick. Give consumers the freedom to choose how and who they buy from.
Has farming changed the way you think about food and waste?
Chance: Most definitely! For one, I think it’s made us pickier eaters when you do research into how large commercial operations raise their animals. When you eat something that’s been humanely raised on grass and then humanely processed versus something commercially raised, there’s no contest. We’ve also definitely cut down on waste as most of our scraps are either composted or fed to chickens or pigs. What used to be waste is now actually helping sustain the farm.
What are some practices you’ve changed in recent years and why?
Chance: We initially started out only selling whole chicken, but we’re starting to move away from that because we are having more success with parted and spatchcock chicken. Another reason for moving away from whole chickens is because we had to pack them in heat shrink bags. We realized that when you heat plastic to shrink it around the chicken, it’s inevitably going to leach into the chicken. We didn’t want to put all the effort into raising a healthy chicken and then package it in a way that is unhealthy. We now vacuum seal our meat products so that we don’t run into that issue.
What is something people do not realize about farming?
Chance: Just because a label says “farm fresh” or “farm raised” doesn’t mean that it’s healthy. Whenever possible, it’s best to know the farmer you’re buying your food from. Ask them how the products you’re buying are raised/grown, how they’re processed, how they’re packaged, etc. If they can’t or won’t tell you, then you should probably go elsewhere.
What has farming taught you about yourself, the community, life?
Chance: I think it’s taught all four of us how to adapt. If something doesn’t work, then we fix it. If we fail, we learn from it and move on. Mistakes are okay if we learn from them. Our community is great. We have customers from all walks of life. I’m sure a lot of our customers have different world and political views than we do, but we can come together wanting the best and healthiest food possible for our families. In a time where everything seems so divided, it’s nice to be able to come together on this. As far as life goes, farming has taught us that everything has a season. Work within God’s design and you’ll always have joy. It won’t always be easy or pleasant, but there will always be joy…