About Us

Hey y’all! Matt and Tess here from Headlong Farm.

We have had a lot of new followers this year and thought it would be good to tell you new folks a little bit about ourselves. It all started way back in 2019 when one day, after a serious Youtube rabbit hole Matt said, “I want to quit my job and start a farm!” And Tess said, “OK, why not?!” 

We did some research, made some spreadsheets (you should have seen this spreadsheet!), and were incredibly blessed to find the perfect former horse ranch that happened to be next door to some dear friends. We got our keys two days before the Covid lockdown in March 2020 and began to slowly make improvements, learn about the land, and introduce ourselves to the wonderful Elgin community.

We had a lot of ideas about what we might farm and how we might utilize all the gifts our property had, but we also knew that we were in over our heads and we were learning as we went along. We chose the name Headlong Farm in part because we thought it accurately reflected our attitudes in leaving our old career paths behind and charging head-first into a new adventure.

We spent a couple years testing some farming endeavors, learning about goats, chickens, crops, weather, regenerative practices, and went to market with breads and other goods we had learned to make or grow over the years. There were a lot of failures: sick animals, weather disasters, broken pipes, mold, rats (egregiously brazen rats that almost caused Tess to give up entirely), and bad fences. 

But we have had so much help: our friends at Elgin Farmer's Market who cheered us on and gave us confidence to keep coming back; Deja and Monica of Chemn Cafe who gave us space in their shop and promoted us to their customers; our neighbors who help out whenever an animal needs care or a fence gets knocked down; our wonderful customers who came to our first market in December 2020 and kept coming back, even when we took months off from the farmer’s market; our farmhands who helped care for animals, plant our first gardens, and build out the endless list of farm improvements.

It was with all that support that we were able this year to begin the next phase of our business: the farmstand! We are passionate about getting the community involved on the farm. Our goal is to have a place where our customers can come to learn and reconnect with our common agrarian roots. In moving to the farm and recentering our lives around physical work in communion with natural resources, we have found a strong sense of purpose, community, and gratitude. It has required everything we could give, but is providing us with exactly what we need. 

We hope you come visit us at the market, or on the farm. Try out a class and get addicted to some of the wonderful products we carry from our farm and other wonderful local farmers and ranchers! Someday, we'd love for each of you to be a part of our story, too.