Thriving Farmer Case Study: Kirkwood Heritage

These farmers got marketing guidance for their rare and endangered heritage livestock breed business

Seth and Stephanie Furches are the newly married husband and wife team behind the exciting farm business of Kirkwood Heritage. While they may be recently married, Seth is far from new to farming.

Seth grew up in a farming family and ran some of his own animals on the family farm. When Seth started dating Stephanie, they knew farming was in their future. Stephanie grew up in the country but never farmed. Now, she loves the animals and the lifestyle!

“I’m an 8th generational farmer, but we recently got hitched, and bought a farm together,” Seth explained. “Being our second marriage, and wanting to do something new and special with this small farm, we decided to specialize in rare and endangered heritage livestock breeds, of which Seth has some experience. So in several ways, this farm is a second chance or a chance for Redemption. Several springs are on the farm, as well as an 1800’s springhouse, so the name just came together. Ephesians 1:7”

The farm Seth is referring to is Redemption Springs, one of a few farm businesses that Seth is intimately involved with. But Seth came to Small Farm Nation looking for a state-of-the-art website for his newest farming enterprise, Kirkwood Heritage. Kirkwood works with partner farms and markets a meat CSA to customers in the counties around Baltimore, Maryland. There, they specialize in rare endangered breeds, to bring awareness and help these unique genetics and tastes survive in our current age of mass farming and hybridized breeds. Seth and Stephanie have Red Devon beef, Red Waddle pork, Bourbon Red Turkey, and a variety of Heritage Chicken breeds.

Before coming to Small Farm Nation, Seth says his biggest farm marketing challenges were with online marketing, websites, and social media.

“I have never had a truly professional website,” Seth explained. “And I had issues with other companies that promised professional website design but couldn’t deliver. I’ve never had any guidance on marketing strategies other than companies selling direct marketing ads.”

Seth was referred to Small Farm Nation by another Small Farm Nation client. Shortly thereafter, Seth was able to not only launch a slick new website for Kirkwood Heritage, but he was also able to take down two other websites he was paying for and incorporate those into the Kirkwood Heritage site.

“The biggest thing that has already been helpful is the advice and experience,” Seth says. “Tim has offered his time and advice to help us get started and moving in the correct direction with online sales and marketing. The website he created is beautiful and exactly what we were looking for. Tim has helped set us on a path where our time, a valuable but unquantifiable resource, is most effectively allocated.”