“We believe in the beauty of creation and dirt under our fingernails. We believe that children should understand where their chicken nuggets come from and that salsa isn’t picked from a tree. We believe that we are called to be careful stewards of the ground and beasts under our care. We believe that everyone should have access to quality, local food, and know the farmer that made it happen.”
— Carrie Shepperson
Meet the Farmers
We are Doug and Carrie Shepperson of Southern Songbird Farm in Clark County, KY.
Doug grew up a fourth generation farmer in Gravel Switch, KY near the Forkland area-a community of farming families that depended on one another to be successful. His family made an extremely modest living raising hay, corn, and tobacco. As it became harder to subsist on farming alone, Doug sought public work as an EMT, eventually landing him in Lexington, KY and away from farming.
Carrie grew up in Lexington, KY. Her green thumb and love of gardening came from watching her grandfather tend his beautiful flower and vegetable beds. She fed this love by tending her tiny suburban yard with raised beds full of vegetables between shifts as a registered nurse.
After meeting at the University of Kentucky Medical Center, Doug and Carrie were married in 2012, and were blessedly given the opportunity to move to a farm. Starting with two hens and a rooster, they quickly grew. The rest, as they say, is history!
