MEET THE MANAGER

STORY BY LONNA UPTON PHOTOS BY KENNETH BOONE Kelsie Miller takes charge at the farmer's market

Change is in the air, and it’s not just the breezy, spring weather. The Alexander City Farmer’s Market is sprouting new growth with a new location and a new manager. Main Street Alexander City sponsors this yearly summer event, which runs from the first Saturday in June until the last Saturday in September, but this summer it will move to the old city hall parking lot. In addition to an exciting new location, Kelsie Miller will be taking over at the helm, offering her own spin to Saturdays downtown. As owners of Coosa Fancy, a 25-acre farm in Rockford, Miller and her husband have farming experience, as well as great joy in watching things grow – a perfect combination to guide the city’s farmer’s market into its new beginning.

“Main Street is very excited to have Kelsie as our new farmer’s market manager. Kelsie and her husband live, eat and breathe the farm life, and she is a breath of fresh air for the market. We are very excited about our new location this year, which will allow for better flow and hopefully increase sales for our farmers and other vendors,” said Stacey Jeffcoat, executive director of Main Street Alexander City.

Miller grew up in Auburn riding horses, and her father and grandfather were casual gardeners. Her journey to farming did not start until she met her husband, John Burke, during a break from graduate school.

“I was working on my degree at the University of Georgia when I met John. He had just come home to Alabama from a job in California to start a farm on the land his grandparents owned in Rockford. Three years later we were married. We’ve been farming for five years now,” Miller said.

Burke grew up in Birmingham, but generations of his family have farmed in Coosa County since the 1800s. Burke and Miller began utilizing the level land where his grandmother’s house once stood and where her garden grew, for their garden.

“We have an organic market garden on about a half-acre and plan to expand to an acre. Everything we grow we sell – salad and leafy greens in the cooler months; then in the summer, we have heirloom tomatoes, squash, melons, pumpkins, peppers, pears and potatoes, just about anything we can grow,” she said.

Miller and Burke also raise heritage breed hogs, a distinction made because their heritage can be traced back to the 1900s in Europe. These Old World breeds, as they are often called, thrive on farms that allow them to forage and do not confine them to small places and pens. At Coosa Fancy, the heritage hogs roam 15 acres. The couple is transitioning from Berkshire and Mangalitsa breeds to only Mangalitsa, an Old World breed indigenous to Hungary and known for its curly hair, docile nature and excellent meat.

“We have our pork processed at a USDA facility, and we sell it at the farmer’s market and straight from the farm. It is excellent meat, and I can’t imagine eating pork from a grocery store now. The marbling is great, more like a steak. Of course, we sell out of bacon first; then, breakfast sausage and pork chops,” Miller said.

Other animals on the farm include free-range chickens, which produce eggs for the family’s personal use and for sale. Miller said they plan to expand the egg sale by late summer. They also Growing Food for Market Left: Kelsie Miller will manage Main Street Alexander City's Farmer's Market this summer; Below: Miller works the have four dairy goats, which she cheerfully describes as pasture ornaments, and five dogs. But the hogs took the spotlight when a comment land where her husband's from Burke’s grandmother grandmother once farmed. gave the farm its name. “When John told her what kind of pigs we would have and described the heritage breed to her, she said, ‘Oh, y’all are gonna have those fancy pigs.’ And that was it – Coosa Fancy Farm,” Miller said. Although she is a relatively new farmer, Miller said the best part of gardening is that anyone can do it. Her advice is to start with a raised bed, constructed or purchased, so the soil quality can be controlled. Second, she suggests buying high quality potting mix. Third, be sure to grow something you like, so you will want to tend the garden. And last, always read the seed packet and use resources, such as the extension office, for help if you run into a problem.

Miller is excited to move from vendor to vendor/manager and will organize the market, find licensed vendors and gather sponsorships. She is also responsible for entertainment, which provides fun for shoppers and brings more people to the market.

“We have really enjoyed the small business feel of the farmer’s market. Everyone is so nice and helpful, so into it, and they’ve been so supportive,” she said.

Miller welcomes ideas for educational spotlights and entertainment for all ages, including school or church groups, singers, bands and performers, such as magicians. Individuals and groups that would like to perform for free will be vetted and considered for timeslots. Interested performers should contact Miller at kelsiem@coosa-fancy.com.

“Our market is one of the few markets in the state that remains free for the farmers to come and set up each Saturday. We encourage everyone to come out and meet Kelsie and support our local farmers and artisans,” said Jeffcoat.