"Who are you guys anyway?"

(continued from the home page) The properties previous owner only used the land for hunting and did nothing to it - no structures what-so-ever, no digging, growing or controlled harvesting of any kind occurred on this property for 11 years. That period is important since a plot of land needs to be chemical-free for three years or more for it to be considered for organic certification by Oregon Tilth.

This overall farm project started in early summer of 2008 when Karen began "guerrilla gardening" a plot of dirt about 2 feet by 10 feet between the concrete of our Chicago condo building and the parking lot of the church next door (yes, she asked first!). During the first summer she organically produced more peppers, tomatoes, basil and mint than we could eat! We were forced to give much of it away to friends and neighbors. It also forced us to learn how to preserve the bounty!

Shortly after the 2008 mid-summer "harvest" we immediately began looking for land to farm. We knew that farming was our future. First we looked in Central Kentucky in and around Lexington (near Jody's family). We loved the beautiful land plots, however, we didn't see too much being grown - except tobacco. So we decided to start looking in southwestern Michigan (near Karen's family). And that's where our search ended.

9/13/08 - one of the many plots we looked at. (photo by Jody Warner, © 2008)

During the summer of 2008 we looked at more than 50+ land lots - some as large as 80+ acres and some smaller than 10 acres. Then, on October 11, 2008, we found what we were looking for - 40, barely-touched, acres in South Haven, Michigan.

10/11/08 -the day we found our farm property. (photo by Jody Warner, © 2008)

It was about that time that the economy really started going into the toilet. That meant that our condo in Chicago wouldn't sell for more than a year. We hunkered down, cut back and did what was needed to keep going. Jody took every photography job he could - events, weddings, parties, sports, portraits and more. Karen worked as many as five jobs at a time - no kidding, five jobs! So if you learn nothing from this paragraph, please learn that we're survivors that we're not afraid of hard work.

The land - South Haven, Michigan.
The property was purchased in December of 2008 with every penny Jody and Karen had - literally. Against the advice of their financial planner, they sold all their investments, 401k and emptied their savings accounts. They even sold their house in Chicago. It's 40 acres a few miles east of South Haven, MI on 8th Avenue.

The boss - Karen Warner, CEO, CFO, Head Farmer
Hailing from the great State of Michigan, Karen has a bachelors degree from Washington University in St. Louis. And straying far from her undergraduate degree she has found an inner passion for changing the world, one community at a time. That passion has manifest itself in the form of Big Head Farm. She is smiling, happy and optimistic - she's the boss. The big cheese.

The muscle - Jody Warner, COO, CIO, Assistant Farmer
Jody is an 25+ year, award-winning photographer with a bachelor's degree from Eastern Kentucky University. At the farm he is the Chief Operating Officer, Chief Information Officer and Assistant Farmer. He acts as Mr. Fixit, website manager and keeps the farm operational. There's a rumor that Jody's the masochist behind our impressive list of ridiculously hot peppers.

The dog - Mike, CD (Chief Dog)
Yes, it may seem strange for a farm site to list dogs as an integral part of the operation. Agreed. However, Mike is the main wiggly thing on the farm - the one that always loves us, licks us and woofs when we're around. Fear not, for Mike is a Boxer-mix that's afraid of his own shadow. He's a 2005 rescue from the Chicago Anti-Cruelty Society.

The other dog - Sadie, ACD (Assistant Chief Dog)
Sadie (a full Boxer) came to us on Arril 14, 2009 through Boxer Haven Rescue. We knew that Mike needed a buddy and we figured that the best way to accomplish that was to get him a sister. When you see Mike and Sadie together, you'll think they're related - they're not! She's our hopping, spinning bundle of happiness!

As we expand the farm and get into more and more business we will add more and more staff as needed. We also plan to add, at least, one more dog!

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