“I don’t think anyone ought to be hungry“
Smiley’s Farm has been operating in Middle Tennessee in some form since 1805. Troy Smiley has been working with his father on the farm since he was five years old – helping out at the market and harvesting fresh fruit from the plant. Smiley’s Farm is a participating farm in our new LFPA Grant program. This federally funded program allows Second Harvest to source locally grown fresh food from local farmers, and distribute it to our Partner Agencies. Because of this grant, Second Harvest is able to support local farmers, and help our neighbors in need.
While Smiley’s has always been a mainstay at local markets, the backbone of his operation has been wholesale distributions. These, sadly, have begun to close in the past few years, which means Troy has lost out on major revenue. He says, “There’s no place for us to sell. We can sell a little retail, but no wholesale. That can put us out of business.” Troy has recently noticed other issues as the Nashville area continues to grow, too. “On a farm you need to rotate your crops properly,” Troy says, “You have major problems with disease if you don’t get enough crop rotation. Farmland is getting chopped up with land development, and we just don’t have room anymore.” Farmers all across Middle and West Tennessee are seeing their farmland sold to real estate developers, which is making their livelihood more and more difficult. Troy says, “Last year was a rough year.” Prices skyrocketed, and Tory didn’t feel comfortable passing that down to his customers. So, Smiley’s Farm footed the bill.
Helping people who are facing hunger is a passion for Troy and Smiley’s Farm. “I don’t think anyone ought to be hungry,” Troy says, “Especially not with all the waste we have in this country. They shouldn’t just rely on processed foods, either. I like getting people good food.”
You can find Smiley’s Farm’s foods at the Nashville Farmer’s Market and Ridgetop Farmer’s Market. Smiley’s Farm is proud to accept EBT payments as well.
