Meet PCG Member – Christy Underwood: Close to the Land – and Family

Christy Underwood is a first-generation farmer; one-half of the brains behind Underwood Family Farm in Lawndale, North Carolina. She and her husband, Michael, started Underwood Family Farms in 2005.

They started with pork, but now offer a full slate of beef, lamb, veal and milk, citing diversity as their cornerstone. While most farms tend to focus on veggies, meat, or dairy production, they try to do a bit of it all.

Before starting the farm, Christy was a stay-at-home mom, living in Wilmington, North Carolina, with her husband and newborn son. Having a new child started to put things into perspective for the young couple, as they wanted to find a more sustainable way to feed their son. They liked the idea of having their son grow up knowing where his food came from.

“It’s pretty funny {how we got into farming},” Christy shares. “We read an article in Gourmet magazine written by Joel Salatin, a farmer in Virginia, who is a big supporter of sustainable agriculture. He talked about farming on a smaller scale, which appealed to us. Additionally, we were struggling with the current food system, and feeding a child completely changed our perspective of food.”

Eventually, they decided it was time to take a leap and make a change from what they were currently doing. “We were trying to figure out what to do with our lives that would make a small difference,” she continued. While they had tried to get an internship with Salatin himself, he had a five-year waiting list. After researching how to get started in farming, she and Michael took a leap and moved to Hickory Nut Gap in 2002, where they spend a year interning at Hickory Nut Gap Farm in Fairview, North Carolina. The internship included plenty of hands-on learning, and both felt ready to hit the ground running after that year.

“We chose the area between Charlotte and Asheville to start our farm, and found land and a house to rent,” Underwood said. “We wanted to be in the mountains, but we wanted to market to Charlotte, which was untapped at the time.” Within a few months, they were taking pork to the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market and continue to do so today.

Plenty of blood, sweat and tears have gone into their family farm since finishing that internship in 2002. Michael is up at 5am to milk the cows, feed the pigs and check in on the sheep.

He does most of the farming and maintenance things, while Christy handles the marketing and logistical side of things. On an average day, you may find her making labels for bottled milk, creating their weekly newsletter, or keeping up with other legislation changes.

“One of the best parts about farming is that we’re always learning,” she says. “The legislation changes are important to keep up with. Happy animals are our priority.”

While living and working alongside your husband may seem difficult, Christy enjoys the extra time together, acknowledging that farming is very time consuming. Underwood Family Farm was named in such a way because family is the centerpiece of the farm.

“We wanted our kids to grow up knowing how important the food we eat is, where it comes from, how its raised, and what effect it has on the environment.”

“If I had a job off the farm, we may be more financially stable, but we wouldn’t see each other,” she continued. “We make a good team because we have a good division of labor. There are areas that are his to handle and areas that are mine to handle. As a husband-wife team, when you work together and live together, it’s important to establish that division of labor early.”

Their two sons, now 17 and 14, have also been helping with the farm since they were old enough. The family also has a 180-pound livestock guardian dog (LGD), Diesel, who protects the animals from coyotes and other predators. As you can guess, the Underwoods’ do a good amount of home cooking and Christy continues to can, freeze and preserve food. “I get nervous if I don’t have my winter’s worth of tomatoes canned,” she jokes.

The intersection of food and work life is also an important value for Christy, having grown up with a large garden. She grew up freezing and canning veggies from the garden each summer with her mom. Because she grew up knowing and understanding where her most of her food came from, she wanted her children to have the same experience of getting food directly from the source.

“We loved the idea of producing something from the land, living closely to the land, and having our children live closer to the land.”

“Christy is a hard worker,” adds fellow Piedmont Culinary Guild member, Shelley Eagan, of Proffitt Family Cattle Company. “She and Michael are prime examples of how you can become a first-generation farmer in this day and age.”

Eagan went on to describe Christy’s passion for selling and interacting with customers. “Christy and I met back in 2009 selling at the Farmers Market. She’s a staple at those markets. She always has a smile on her face and she’s a great example of someone who is excited about what she does. We need more people like that in the farming industry – answering questions and making customers feel welcome, keeping them informed about local food and bringing good products to the market.”

Christy credits her membership with the Piedmont Culinary Guild as a great source of networking and inspiration.

“The Guild is a great source of inspiration to keep growing and producing good food.”

She loves the meetups and the ability to collaborate with other farms and chefs, a dialogue that may otherwise be difficult to approach.

You can find Underwood Family Farm at the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market on Saturday mornings. They also sell direct to consumers at their farm, and work with a handful of local restaurants.

Profile written by Sarah Schlichter, MPH, RDN