The Farm at Windy Hill
The Farm at Windy Hill is a working and learning farm located just a mile up the road from Camp DeSoto. The farmers work the land sustainably to grow beautiful produce, flowers, meat, and eggs for the Camp DeSoto Dining Hall as well as the surrounding Lookout Mountain community.
Phil and Marsha Hurt dreamed of a camp farm for years, and in 2014 The Farm at Windy Hill was born! Campers get to take Farming and Cooking classes at Windy Hill, we get to enjoy farm-fresh vegetables and eggs in our Dining Hall, and the farm has become a wonderful way to connect with and engage our local community.
A primary facet of Windy Hill’s mission is to provide fresh, healthful, and delicious food for Camp DeSoto’s dining hall, as well as to offer campers the unique opportunity to see the farm in operation, nurturing their sense of wonder and deepening their understanding of how God’s created world sustains us. The farm does the same things for many others through weekly Farm Markets, seasonal Farm Dinners, Summer Barbeques, and various opportunities for hands-on education.
Mission of Windy Hill
- to sustainably work the earth to produce a bounty of fresh, flavorful, and nutritious foods while improving (rather than diminishing) the land
- to give children and others the opportunity to explore and deepen their appreciation of Creation and our role in stewarding it, as well as to cultivate a deeper understanding of “where food comes from”
- to nourish our local Mentone community and beyond, both physically and spiritually.
Growth
Education
Community
Soil Enrichment
Sustainable Practices
Nourishing Food
The Farm is managed by Brent Halderman, who shares the work with his wife, Megan Halderman, as well as year-round farmers Ashley Dempsey, Katie Kalsuche, and Jordan Nelson. Christy Brandon is the Farm Chef who prepares food for Windy Hill events, the market, and even the Dining Hall at Camp DeSoto.
In addition to the year-round team, several seasonal farmers and cooks join the team each spring and summer.
To learn more about The Farm at Windy Hill and keep up with what’s happening on the Farm, follow @thefarmatwindyhill on Instagram and take a look at their Facebook page.
Interested in learning more about the Dining Hall at Camp DeSoto, the food we serve, and our philosophy of shared meals? Keep reading here.
