Farm spotlight: 84 West Farm

Heather Ainsley
ECB Publishing, Inc.

“Chickens are a gateway farm animal,” says Shelby Feinberg, to a chuckle of agreement from her husband, Jeff. That's how their small family farm began, 10 years ago in the suburbs of Jacksonville. Typically, farm animals are not allowed within the city limits, but Jacksonville passed an ordinance that gave citizens in the city the ability to house up to five female chickens, so long as the resident attended a class and obtained a permit. While roosters were not permitted, the hens delighted the Feinbergs, and it wasn't long before they moved to Albany, Ga., where they not only expanded their flock, but made the addition of goats to their farm. But it wasn't until moving to Monticello that their small family farm really began to expand.
Today, Shelby and Jeff raise a little bit of everything on their farm, which they call 84 West Farm, a nod to the street they lived on where it all began 10 years ago. They enjoy the company of many farm animals, including ducks, chickens, three KuneKune pigs, six Nigerian dwarf goats and seven dairy cows. The cows are a newer addition to the farm, and are Shelby's pride and joy.
Of their cows, three are Brown Swiss cows that the family uses for milk purposes, and three of their offspring, with the inclusion of a single foster calf that started out as a bottle-baby orphan that the family took in.
While raising all of these animals may sound like a lot of work (and it is!), Shelby and Jeff have eager help in the form of their children: Miles, Finn, Henry and little Beau, who all help out on the farm.
“Everyone chips in,” says Shelby, who reveals that the boys have been involved in many 4H programs locally, including entering their ducks in the North Florida Fair and participating in Chick Chain, and that each of them have even earned ribbons for animals they have raised.
Jeff worked previously in Lee before moving to Monticello in February of 2019. The process of building a farm from the ground up inspired him to start up a secondary business, North Florida Homestead Supply.
“When we were just starting out here,” recalls Jeff, “we were always trying to track down stuff we needed, whether it was tractors or backhoes or other equipment that the average household doesn't have just lying around.”
Now that the family has the heavy machinery necessary for many farm jobs, they offer them to other farmers and homesteaders for rent, hoping to make it easier for others to access not just the equipment itself, but also knowledge about certain farm processes and assistance executing them if needed. In an effort to build a community of farmers helping farmers, North Florida Homestead Supply offers a wide inventory of equipment and even services like mowing, fencing, livestock transport, cattle A.I., garden prep and more.
Although 84 West Farm is still just a small family farm, the Feinbergs hope someday to be able to not just provide for their own family with it, but other families in the community, by means of selling products raised and harvested from their own garden and animals. One of the most rewarding parts of building their own farm has been knowing where their food comes from.
“It's a great feeling,” says Shelby, “knowing where the things we eat or sell come from. We know exactly how it was raised, and we know what it eats. If 'you are what you eat,' you want to know what that is exactly.”
“Even beyond that,” chimed in Jeff, “we like the physical aspect of it. I admit, I am not as young as I used to be, and my body is getting older and doesn't recover as easily, but I spent 20 years in a corporate job – I forgot how much I liked being outside. People are meant to work hard, we are meant to enjoy doing something good. Even more, the farm gives the kids a sense of responsibility and accountability. It would be nice to make money from our farm down the line, but we are enjoying the process.”
Farming is certainly not an easy job, and the Feinbergs are no stranger to the level of dedication a farm requires, even jokingly comparing the level of commitment required to raise dairy cows to the commitment of marriage itself. Indeed, dairy cows require milking twice daily in addition to general maintenance, and while that might be a simple commitment on easy days, when facing other realities of life or unexpected events, it can be a challenge to keep up with.
“When you own a farm, you have to think about who is going to care for it when you aren't there,” shares Shelby. “There have been times when we face other things, like when everyone in the family got sick with Covid, or during the birth of our youngest; the work still has to be done! It's a lot of responsibility.”
Even with all the demands of the farm, the Feinbergs are enjoying their homestead, and have been surprised by the sheer level of support in the local homesteading community.
“As we have gotten to know more and more people in the area who are doing some of the same things we are doing, I have been pleasantly surprised at the way the community supports one another,” says Shelby. “So many of the folks we've met are kind and supportive, from checking in when we've had a sick cow (and taking our kids to activities when we needed to stay with the cow), to showing up to milk for us when we were in the hospital having a baby. We've met so many people who are willing to share their knowledge and experience with us, with no judgment for those who choose different methods. I am really glad that Monticello is where we really jumped fully into this lifestyle, because of the community.”
For now, the Feinbergs are hard at work building and maintaining the 84 West Farm, and thoughts are forming around future endeavors for the family, including possible participation in the local Farm Tour, with demonstrations and educational activities. While all of that excitement waits for the future, in the present day, there's still plenty of work to be done!
For a full list of available equipment offered by North Florida Homestead Supply, visit Northfloridahomesteadsupply.com. To see what's new with 84 West Farm, follow them on Facebook or Instagram by searching the name.