About Us

We are a seventh-generation family farm dating back to June 1, 1858, when Malcomb Watkins purchased a homestead land patent with almost 120 acres of land. Hilly with red clay soil, most of the property left something to be desired in terms of agricultural prospects, but what it lacked in immediate value, the opportunity allowed the Watkins to establish a homestead on the land through trading vegetable crops like corn, small livestock like swine, and agricultural products like honey. Located near the original Byler Road, Alabama’s first official state road, the location of the homestead allowed the family access to trade with travelers on the road to Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Orville and Verdeen Watkins were the last of the Watkins family’s namesakes to live on the property, leaving their only child, Martha Sue Simmons, the matriarch of the family homestead. Together with her son, Russell Simmons, and granddaughter, Jessica Simmons Mitchell, the trio incorporated the family farm as an LLC in November of 2023. Today, the multi-generational family farm enjoys sharing produce from the red clay soil on top of the “hill” where their family has farmed for generations. It is our hope to continue this tradition by educating the eighth generation of descendants in sustainable farming practices to steward the land into future generations.