At Hickory Hill Farm, BawBaw and her family found a home among the Shaws, who have owned and worked the land for generations.
When members of the Shaw family bow their heads to pray over a meal, the catalog of praises is long. They thank God for fertile land that’s been theirs since 1852, for their house built by a great-great grandfather, for the children who represent the seventh generation to have faces smudged with inherited dirt, and for the success they’ve seen as an organic farm over the last decade.
The Shaws are thankful not just for what they have at Hickory Hill, but for what they share.
Farmer and Shaw son-in-law Josh Johns leads guests through a tour of the farm.
That’s why they invited members of their community—the people who show up to support them at the Athens Farmers Market every week—for a special dinner on the farm. On their sprawling acreage in rural Carlton, Georgia, they tell their story and offer insight into the workings of the farm.
Josh shares his learning experiences from the farm.
This is an opportunity for the matriarch, Susan Shaw, to remark upon a blessing that extends outside of their family. She shares that for the last two years, Burmese refugees have worked as integral employees of Hickory Hill. “They're a huge blessing to us,” she says. “They are a great, great asset to us, and we're glad to have them.”
Susan Shaw and her husband Garry give thanks for all that they have at Hickory Hill.
She introduces a woman named BawBaw and her family. They are Karen people, who escaped ethnic persecution in Burma, fleeing first to Thailand where they lived in a refugee camp for nine years, before coming to the United States in 2010.
BawBaw and her family got involved with Hickory Hill by way of Jubilee Partners. This Christian ministry organization hosts refugees, assists with their acclimation, teaches them English, and provides them with work opportunities.
Work on Hickory Hill has helped BawBaw adjust to life in America.
For BawBaw, work on the farm has been essential for feeling at home. “I really enjoy working on the farm and hold[ing] myself close to ground,” she says. “That makes me happy every day.”
BawBaw has worked since she was 11 years old to help support her parents and 10 siblings. “My parents [were] very poor, and then we have to work at the farm and just get food—never, ever see money.”
She was separated from her parents by war, never received an education, and was later forced out of the country altogether.
At Hickory Hill her experience has been much different. She spends three days a week on the farm and two in English classes. She works with her sister, and her six children are in school. Her bosses are understanding, kind, and generous, she says.
The Shaws share Hickory Hill’s bounty not just with farmers market shoppers, but with the people who help them grow it.
One of the things she likes most is being able to take much of the food her family needs from the farm. She’s learned about many new fruits and vegetables, and is thankful to save money. “When I first worked here I didn't know kale. I didn't know a lot of vegetables from here, and I'm trying and I love it,” she says.
The farm has helped BawBaw find a life with security and joy. “I'm very happy here,” she says.
BawBaw is an integral part of Hickory Hill, and the farm brings her joy.
Hickory Hill represents two paths for the future of organic farming in America, working in tandem. They are the rare family farm with generations stepping in line behind the other to take the helm—Susan and Garry Shaw’s daughter, Jennifer and her husband make their lives on the farm too. But they have also opened the door to people in need of a new livelihood, far from their native land.
When Garry leads the crowd in prayer, he counts these blessings just the same. “We are thankful for the hands that have harvested the food, the hands that planted the food, and the hands that have prepared it.”
Written & photographed by Jodi Cash
This story was produced in partnership with Georgia Organics. Join us in Athens for the 2020 Georgia Organics Conference & Expo, February 7-8.