A farm with heart

Hailey Heseltine
ECB Publishing, Inc.

Nestled atop the rolling hills of Honey Lake Road, just across the Jefferson County line, is Heart Bar Farm, a work-in-progress farm with high hopes for the future.
The story of Heart Bar Farm begins with its owners, Eric and Jennifer Anderson. Both of them grew up in small towns in the Fort Myers area. They were wed in 2010, and plans for their shared future ensued. Jennifer was a teacher, and Eric was an auto collision estimator, but their family roots showed a very different future for them. Eric's grandfather had been a cattle farmer, which became the inspiration for a path all their own.
“That was what our driver was,” says Jennifer.
They both wanted to “get back to their roots” in a small-town area, and they wanted to experience more variety in seasons, so they decided North Florida would be an ideal location for experimenting with the idea of a farm. As a result, they moved to Havana in late 2016. They opted to start small with a garden on their two-acre property, both for fun and nutritional purposes.
“My grandpa always had a garden; it was so exciting to have my own property to do it, too,” says Jennifer. “That was the beginning...we went down a rabbit hole.”
As their enthusiasm grew, the Andersons discovered the benefits of growing their own food, such as greater nutritional value, sustainability, natural options and transparency. With a growing sense of importance regarding nutrition, they also learned more about soil quality and realized what an essential role animals play in it.
“It was one of those connect-the-dots moments,” says Jennifer. “I think that was the thing that really pushed us forward to get animals.”
From there, they began to take the idea of farming more seriously. They had always known that they wanted cows, but they finally decided to turn those intentions into actions by buying forty acres of land in Greenville in late 2021, and later, their cows. With the start of their farm, of course, they had to choose a name. They settled on Heart Bar Farm to honor their inspiration, Eric's grandfather. Long ago, when cattle owned by various farmers were kept in the same fields, they had brands to distinguish them. The brand of the Anderson family had been a heart with a bar in the middle. Though the Andersons do not brand their cattle now, they thought the symbol should continue to be honored through their farm's name.
For years, the Andersons had been loyal patrons of Red Hills Online Market and some other farmers' markets in the area, where they connected with local farmers often. This helped ignite further passion to expand, and so Jennifer quit her job in October 2022 to begin working on the farm full-time.
“I realized we can give back in a bigger way. Instead of keeping this secret, we can share it,” Jennifer explains. “It's about feeding small communities, and we wanted to be a part of that. It was something we had a lot of passion about.”
Not long after, they decided to include chickens. Chickens are Jennifer's personal favorite animals on the farm, with their eccentric personalities and effortless humor. They started with three flocks of egg-layers, some of which were “rescued.” More recently, they also acquired meat chickens.
They received some KuneKune pigs last June, but they are unsure if they will farm them yet.
Overall, the farm is currently home to about 17 cows, seven pigs, and 170 chickens. Their goal with these animals is to treat them well, give them a good life, and allow them to exhibit natural instincts as much as possible. They are open to possibly farming more species in the future; Jennifer states that they hope to “grow as much as the land allows.”
If all goes as planned, they will receive their limited poultry and egg farm license within the next few weeks, and they will likely get their first beef this autumn. They hope to sell their products on the Red Hills Online Farmer's Market and at some other local markets, finally able to give back to the community as they always aspired to. They value transparency and high quality in their products, and they want to provide nutritional and delicious options for their customers. Jennifer expressed that this is because those were the reasons why they opted to support local farmers. Just as they sought out healthier, humane options, they want to provide those same options to others as well.
“It's bigger than us now,” she says. “It's some of the most exhausting yet rewarding work I've ever done. My heart is so full.”
Though their beginnings have been humble, Heart Bar Farm is making a true effort to embody the spirit of local farming through caring, honesty, hard work, and of course, heart.
If you would like to learn more about Heart Bar Farm, you may visit their website, www.heartbarfarm.com. They can also be contacted via email at pastured@heartbarfarm.com.