Join our family as we share about life on our farm and around our table – nourishing hearts, minds, and bodies along the way.
Hello! I’m Susan Liana (yes, that’s a double name). I’m married to Byron and we have 5 children ages 8 to 1; 4 girls and a boy. We live in Alabama, and recently moved our family into a camper to build a new home and farm from scratch, on land that was once part of the old family dairy farm. We raise gardens, chickens, rabbits, a goose, and children. Most days you will find me at home caring for my family, homeschooling the children, and doing all the things that come with being a homemaker. When home from work, you’ll usually find Byron working in the garden, taking care of animals, or working on farm projects. Our children help take care of the animals and garden, spend lots of time exploring and playing outside, love to create things, and play dress up.
Why we farm…
Byron grew up on a dairy farm named Willow Run Farm. It was started by his grandfather and carried on by his father and uncle. As a boy Byron dreamed of becoming a farmer just like his daddy. When he was 8 years old his family sold the cows, but farming is still in Byron’s blood. Since college he has grown his own garden, and in our first year of marriage, we added a few chickens to our backyard.
Byron’s grandfather taught that when people get more than two generations away from the land, they lose touch with reality. Looking around at the fast pace of our modern world, we knew we would need to be very intentional if we didn’t want that to be true of us. A few years ago, as we thought through our family vision, we realized that we wanted to expand our small agricultural endeavors to a point where we could raise a good portion of our family’s food. Believing that the atmosphere a child is raised in plays a big part in his education, we decided that the farm life was also something we wanted for our children. We also realized that we have a heart for connecting people to the land, where their food comes from, and how it is grown. Growing up on a farm shaped Byron in many good ways and we not only want that for our children, but for others as well.
We’ve chosen to pick up the unused family farm name, because to us it represents our heritage. An agricultural heritage of hard work, innovation, creativity, and an educational atmosphere like no other. We’re working towards our dream of providing most of the food for our own table, as well as having bounty to share, and being a place where people can experience farm life.
Our desire to grow a good portion of our food came out of the practical needs of our family. I have a long history of health challenges, which we’ve learned over the years are due in a large part to the food that I’ve eaten. I have to eat a very natural diet, free from most processed and conventionally grown foods. My body just can’t handle the chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides that are commonly use in commercial farming and we’ve discovered that our children struggle with these things as well. We have learned that not just what we eat, but how it was grown makes a big difference in our health, so our mission here at Willow Run is to raise food that is all-natural, nourishing, and healing for our bodies.
We’re currently working on transitioning and building a farmstead that fits better with our dreams. We didn’t move far, just a little farther back on the old family farm land, but since it has been many years since cows grazed on pastures here, there is lots of work to be done! We’re starting from scratch, and we know there will be lots of learning and growing along the way.
We would love to have you join us on this journey as we raise children, animals, and gardens on the farm, and help connect people to the soil. Gather around our table as we share good food, home joys, our natural life style, and some home education along the way.
