A Special Announcement from Riley Family Farms
The whole Riley crew at the wedding of Hannah and Boaz last summer
Good afternoon to all our loyal followers,
As was previously announced by our friends at Etta Hills Farm, Riley Family Farms, along with Les, Caleb, Ben, and the rest of the Riley Team, has decided to cordially end our agreement to operate Etta Hills Farm. We wish the new team, along with owners Craig and Lilli Foster of Carbon Mesa properties, the best of luck as they determine the best steps for the next phase of Etta Hills Farm. More importantly, we want to thank each of you for your patience and loyalty through this transition. We see each of you as our partners in our mission to build a better Mid South food system, and Riley Family Farms is committed to continuing to serve you the best pastured chicken we can raise!
As we move into our final days at Etta Hills Farm, we are excited to announce big changes for our family farm this year! We are going back to our farming roots in Desoto county, Mississippi, creating a new website with in depth information about our farm and practices, working hard on developing new chicken products for our season launch in April, preparing to announce a new partner to bring y’all grass finished beef & pastured pork, and more!
Riley Family Farms Comes Home to Eudora
Our passion for farming and local food is deeply rooted in our heritage. Our founder, Les Riley’s, great grandfather farmed dairy in what has become South Memphis, delivering milk by wagon 100 years ago. Since the 1940s, Les’s father and his father before him have farmed row crops and vegetables in Desoto County, selling watermelons and peas on the historic Hernando Towne Square in the 1970s.
Today, we are committed to regenerative farming methods. That means we strive to be the best stewards we can be of our land, putting our soil health first to preserve our farm for future generations; to provide healthy, nutrient dense foods; and to rebuild a local food economy to restore rural communities in the Mid South and provide food security to those who need it most, in Memphis and beyond. Our regenerative practices are rooted in our God-given duty as stewards of creation and to care for our community.
We are beyond excited to bring these regenerative practices back to the land our family has been farming in Eudora, Ms for generations, and could not be more thrilled to be right in the middle of Desoto County, a vibrant Mississippi community that has welcomed our family with open arms.
Changing the Mid South Food System
When we set out to raise and process pastured chicken in North Ms (along with grass-fed beef and pastured pork), we envisioned a changed food system. For years, our food system has prioritized the efficiency and profit of centralized, mass production over resiliency and sustainability. We see the catastrophic consequences in shortages, volatile prices, and increasingly artificial, lower nutrient foods. For this to change, we needed to create truly local food options - from soil to plate.
It all starts with our chicken. We are a full service chicken farm - that means our birds are cared for at our brooder from day one; raised on pasture, afforded the rich bounty of forage Mississippi offers; fed 100% non-gmo feed; kept free of antibiotics, MRNAs, vaccines, and all harmful additives; hand processed at our on farm poultry abattoir; and delivered to our customers in Mississippi & Tennessee. Pasture raised chicken is more nutrient dense, more sustainable, and more delicious than any chicken you can find at the supermarket. We invite you to taste the difference yourself by shopping at our online store today!
