Two life-long city dwellers decided to make a change, a big change, fueled by the desire to provide natural, healthier food for their two children. Three years ago, Brent and Marci Sonnemaker bid city-life farewell and moved their family to a 20-acre farm in Marshfield, Mo. “Going from not producing any of your own food, to producing quite a bit of it has been fun,” said Brent Sonnemaker. In just a few years, the Sonnemakers transformed their land into a thriving farm abounding with chickens, ducks, sheep, goats and cattle. “I am a cook and food is my life. So to have the best for our family is awesome,” said Marci Sonnemaker. Marci works as chef and kitchen manager at the Sunshine Valley Farm café in Springfield, Mo. Brent helps run his family business. Despite their lack of farming experience, the Sonnemakers were eager to take on this new challenge for their daughter, Annabelle, and son, Benjamin.
The Sonnemakers’ first farm challenge: transforming their land into a useable space. “The people who were here before us killed all the grass, it was barren,” explained Brent. Though they were literally starting from scratch, Brent and Marci forged ahead, determined to create Happy Mouth Foods farm. They attended seminars, read books, listened to podcasts, and quizzed every farmer they could find in order to gather information they needed to start their farm. “What is nice about us being new farmers is we are not set on a certain way of doing things. We are developing our own style and that is something we really enjoy,” explained Marci.
The “style” of Happy Mouth Foods centers on operating their farm using natural practices and solutions. The Sonnemakers do not use any chemical sprays or synthetic fertilizers on their property. Instead, every day they move their mobile chicken coops to different sections in the fields. The chicken manure drops through the bottom of mobile chicken coop to fertilize the soil. Their Kinko-Boer goats clear out brush and weeds with their intense appetites. Their Katahdin and Heritage St. Croix sheep facilitate pasture growth with their grazing. In addition, the guineas and ducks provide natural pest control by feasting on the farm’s insects. “Our land is benefiting from having all kinds of animals on it,” said Marci.
The most prominent species at Happy Mouth Foods is chickens. The Sonnemakers manage close to 300 chickens. They raise Production Reds, Orpingtons, Welsummer, and Easter Egg chickens. “We have a mix because we wanted a rainbow collection of eggs,” explained Marci. In the winter months, the Sonnemakers feed their free-range chickens non-GMO mix feed. During the milder months the chickens devour all the bugs they can find. Marci is also starting to feed the poultry sprouted-grain. She soaks the grain overnight, drains it, stores it in an area that is around 70 degrees Fahrenheit and rinses it daily until small sprouts form on the grain. “The sprouted grain has all the nutrients that the poultry need without any additives. It is better for the overall health of the bird,” said Marci. There is another benefit to feeding sprouted-grain, it is less expensive than non-GMO grain.
Raising free-range birds comes with many challenges, not the least of which is protecting the poultry from becoming prey. “Predators are terrible here for free-range birds,” said Brent. The Sonnemakers worked with a friend in the construction business to create a mobile chicken coop high enough off the ground to give the chickens a place to run for cover if a hawk zeros in on the farm. Brent and Marci station a rooster at each mobile chicken coop to send out a warning cry if danger draws near. The Sonnemakers collect 10 dozen chicken eggs a day. They keep some for their family to consume and sell the rest at the Farmers Market of the Ozarks, Homegrown Food store and Sunshine Valley Farm. In addition to selling their chicken eggs, the Sonnemakers sell duck eggs and starting in June, they will have mutton available for purchase.
This family is passionate about raising their own poultry and livestock, using natural and humane means. The Sonnemakers’ mission is to encourage others to find out more about how their food is produced and processed. “Things are changing, they are not the way they used to be. Our main focus is educating everyone else, to get them to get their own birds and their own animals,” explained Marci. “The whole fact of knowing what you are eating is key,” added Brent.
The Sonnemakers hold “backyard birds” seminars to help people who want to start raising their own poultry. Brent and Marci emphasize that they are constantly learning about what works for their farm and hope all their effort will make a difference for their children and their community.
