Meet Kristie Wehe | Farmer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kristie Wehe and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kristie, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
When we moved back to Texas in 2014, we were surprised that we could find pastured pork in the Austin area, but not organic pastured pork. We’ve both lost parents to cancer and organic farming is really personal and important to us. Since we couldn’t find it, we decided to start our own farm. Our goal has always been to make organic, pastured, ethically and humanely raised meats as affordable as possible.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve always been a bit of a nomad at heart, and that includes my career. I’ve been involved in market research, training, sales and recruiting. A little bit of all of those things has been very helpful to me in farming, because you don’t just get to spend your time with animals. If you can’t sell your product, you’re farm dream isn’t going to last long unless you’re independently wealthy. I’m proud of what we’ve done with our farm, because we’ve really established a strong foundation for pigs that are happy, healthy, and ultimately make for the best pork you’ll ever eat. It’s not easy to raise an animal from birth and shepherd it through its life and into death. I’ve maintained my ability to really love these beings in my care so that they get the best possible life and then become incredible nourishment for my community. We sell a lot of piglets to homesteaders and beginning farmers and I’ve enjoyed teaching those folks everything I have learned over the years.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This is a tough one for me because I used to be a city girl. As a teenager, I couldn’t wait to get out of the sticks and move to Austin! Then in my 20s, I couldn’t wait to leave small town Austin and move to Seattle. Now, here I am, thrilled to be in the sticks again. I really prefer to stay on the farm, so I’m no longer up on what’s great in the city. But, when we have visitors, I try to get them to the murals, because I think it’s something that’s really unique to Austin; there are so many that are just expressions of the artist, and not something that was commissioned or planned. I also love to encourage people to go to the farmers markets. We have such a bounty of local farms and I often feel that they do not get nearly enough support. Barton Springs and the local creeks are also a favorite spot for me to take visitors. Barton Springs is another spot that is so uniquely Austin to me. I almost always feed people here because I think the food at my house is better than any restaurant in town – and they usually agree!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Although I’m the primary farmer on our farm, my husband definitely fully supports my efforts. He works a full-time off-farm job in order to pay for the farm, and he gives his all evenings and weekends to help keep things going. Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance has been an incredible resource for us, as has Coyote Creek Farm and Feed Mill. There are so many amazing and supportive people in farming, and it’s essential to be good at forming relationships to have any level of success.

Website: www.mockingbird.farm

Instagram: mockingbirdfarmmg

Facebook: mockingbirdfarmatx