Our Story
Connection and health are knowing who your farmers are and exactly where your food comes from. This is local. This is good, whole food for you. This is our family.
Our Story
We are the Kuhlers. Shady Hill Homestead in New Market, VA, was born out of passion and grit. We were tired of waiting for the perfect moment to start farming and providing good food for our family, so we took our one acre and got to work. We keep a huge garden, terrace walls full of flowers, and pasture-raised nonGMO chicken on our property. Down the road a few miles we grow more beautiful flowers. Shady Hill comes from the steep hill our house sits on that is covered in shade trees
We don’t have a lot to work with, but that is not what matters. We are working hard as first-generation farmers to nourish our bodies with good food, regenerate our land, and connect people to their food supply. One day we believe your support and our dedication will allow us to grow our homestead in the future to feed and connect with even more families.
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Farm(her)
Ashley was born and raised in Shenandoah County. She didn’t grow up on a farm so she chose hobbies related to music, sports, and student council. When she joined FFA in middle school, her perspective changed. She started farm blogs, working at a flower shop, and pursuing FFA.
She served as a state FFA officer, later to meet her husband who was also a state officer. She studied agricultural sciences at Virginia Tech and minored in leadership and social change. After graduation, she taught middle school agriscience and FFA where she went to middle school.
After teaching during the pandemic, her career switched to marketing at an organic chicken company in the Valley, Farmer Focus. She has taken what she has learned from education, marketing products, and on-farm visits, to build the vision for how animals and plants are treated and raised at Shady Hill. In her spare time (lol what?!) she enjoys local coffee shops and naps.
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Farmer
Chris is from a small town called Remington in Fauquier County. Know where that is? He is an Eagle Scout and “doomsday prepper”. Chris went to Virginia Tech and studied Agribusiness. A lot of his time at VT was spent taking Ashley Dunkin’ lattes to win her over. He also led the agriculture division of a commodity investing group that had a 1 million dollar portfolio. After graduating he moved on to be a portfolio manager and had some loans of his own with First Bank and Trust. Now, he is a credit analyst for Horizon Farm Credit. He’s at his desk by day, and once he’s home, he is outside where he loves to be. After winning Novice Showman in high school with sheep, he knew he was destined to own a flock. For now, he is the master planner for all things chicken and are the true hands and brain behind the mechanics at Shady Hill. In his spare time he enjoys eating authentic Mexican Cuisine, woodworking projects, and washing his 21 year-old Ford truck.
Reviews
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"I roasted one of Shady Hill's pasture-raised chickens-- not sure I can ever go back to grocery store packaged chickens."
Angie
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"I will pre-order 3 chickens for the spring. Fresh if possible :) They're so good!!!"
Elizabeth
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"It's right at home!! We love it!! Thank you so much! ❤️"
Dawn
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"I LOVE my wreath! You're so talented!"
Debbie
