Reflecting on Ag+Art: Why Your Voice Matters

Bowers Farm has been proudly participating in Ag+Art since it first came to Newberry County in 2017. With the exception of a break in 2020, this event has brought hundreds of visitors to our farm each year. It’s always a joy to meet everyone—some who return year after year, others who discover us for the first time. Some visitors are simply looking for a way to get outside; others are dreaming of starting farms and homesteads of their own.

At the core of why we participate in Ag+Art is a simple but powerful mission: helping others understand where their food comes from. We want people to experience agriculture firsthand, to see the story their food tells before it ever reaches their plate.

Most industrialized confinement agriculture operations—the places where the majority of our food is produced—are closed to the public. You can’t just walk into a commercial chicken house or tour a feedlot. But here at Bowers Farm, you can walk through and see the entire life cycle of the animals we raise for meat—from the moment they are born to their final day.

We can’t speak for every farm on the tour, but we know many of them very well, and we know their hearts are in the same place. Whether it's food, fiber for a knit hat, berries and fresh produce, or handcrafted goods, we all want you to visit, ask questions, learn more, and carry that knowledge with you.

Now, if you’re reading this, you’re probably already someone who cares. Thank you. But we need you to keep reading—because we need you to be our advocates.

A Hard Reminder: One Negative Voice Can Echo Loudly

This weekend, one of the farms on the tour received a one-star review on Google. And while you might be tempted to roll your eyes at online reviews—they matter deeply to small family farms like ours.

This reviewer saw something she didn’t understand, didn’t ask any questions, and jumped straight to judgment. We know these farmers personally and have the utmost respect for their care, dedication, and transparency. They opened their farm to the public to teach and share, only to be unfairly criticized by someone who chose judgment over curiosity.

Unfortunately, she didn’t stop there. She also left a misguided review for Ag+Art itself, tagging the wrong county, but complaining about many spots including Bowers Farm saying, "they said they had chicken for sale but nada!!"

If only she had asked!

Unlike grocery stores, farms are seasonal. Our pastured chickens aren’t raised year-round in confinement—they live outside, following the natural rhythms of the seasons. We had just sold out of our last batch and sent new chickens to the processor that very week. If she had been curious, we could have explained how we plan out the schedule for the chickens we raise. We could have shared with her the difficulty of planning how much to raise because who knows what the demand will be. We could have shown her the young broilers out in the pasture that are being moved daily to fresh grass and will be ready to take to the processor in just a few weeks.

Heck, if she really wanted chicken that day, we would have sold her a chick from the field shelter and said "have at it" - you can do it yourself. Yes, I'm kidding....sort of.

The Bigger Picture: Gratitude and Joy

Let me be clear: 99% of Saturday was absolutely amazing. Rain or shine, visitors came to walk the farm, meet the animals, and ask real, thoughtful questions about agriculture.

We saw kids’ faces light up as they petted Bella, our bottle lamb. We had meaningful conversations with visitors truly hungry to understand the story behind their food. The gratitude we felt from so many of you was overwhelming in the best way.

This one negative experience is not the norm—but it’s a reminder that misunderstanding is still out there. And it’s why we need YOU!

We need you to share your experiences—through Google reviews, social media posts, conversations with friends. When you hear misinformation or someone speaking condescendingly about agriculture, we hope you’ll step in and say, “Hey, I know a farm that would be happy to answer your questions.”

And yes, we need your financial support too. When you buy from small family farms, you’re not just purchasing food—you’re preserving a way of life that values transparency, stewardship, and community. Because let me tell you—if farms like ours ever have to close the gate, industrial agriculture isn’t going to open theirs.

We’re in This Together

When we open the gates of Bowers Farm, we are literally welcoming you into our home. We live here. We work here. We raise food for your table here. We steward this land with care, from the soil up, because we believe in doing agriculture in a way that honors creation.

We love sharing this with you. We want you to know the story of your food—the real story. We’ll continue to open our farm for tours, conversations, and celebrations of agriculture.

But we can’t do it alone. We need you.

Thank you for supporting us, believing in what we do, and being part of the future of farming that values honesty, sustainability, and connection. And please, be part of our team in sharing the importance of this work with others and advocating for all small family farms!