Hometown: West Fork, Ark.
Family: Husband Clay and four children
In Town: Misty Newcomb is the superintendent of Prism North America, a K-12 school system providing academic programs across the country.
In the Country: Misty has a passion for community, family and gardening.
Inside her garden, exotic-colored corn and tomatoes – including varieties of Black Beauties, Cherokee-Purples, Amish Paste and Black Strawberry. There’s also okra, Kentucky Wonder green beans (which Misty’s grandmother said are the best of the best), squash, zucchini, pumpkins and peppers. For a splash of color, eucalyptus, dahlias, zinnias, strawflowers, globe amaranth and cosmos can be found.
Misty grew up watching her grandparents and great-grandparents in their gardens. She vividly remembers hours hulling cowpeas. This sparked her interest in the sentimental and daily value of growing a garden.
Early in their marriage, Misty and her husband Clay became interested in feeding their family holistically. She realized the importance of knowing where their food comes from, how it was made, and decided this was how she and Clay wanted to raise their children.
In 2005, Misty, a native of Hatfield, Ark., and her family, which now includes four children, built their home on 7 acres.
After COVID hit in 2019, Misty’s college-age children moved home, and they developed a renewed appreciation for the homesteading way of life. It was a time of bonding in uncertain times.
During that time, Misty also found a way to connect with her students and share a little about life on the farm during daily online assemblies. Misty shared her activities on the farm, from canning to gardening to tending their assorted chickens and Kunekune pigs.
Though school is re-opened, she continues to share her love for gardening and the importance of knowing where food comes from on her farm’s Instagram page (@newcombfarm).
