Picture Perfect Grass-Fed Family Farm

Anyone near Asheville, NC, might want to check out the Fine Art Museum at Western Carolina University. It actually looks like a dynamic museum with a ton going on.

But for us farm enthusiasts, there’s an added bonus. The museum has added “Hickory Nut Gap Farm Portfolio: Photographs by Ken Abbott” to its offerings, at least in June.

According to the Macon County News, Abbott’s portfolio of 12 images depicts “the living legacy” of the family-run Hickory Nut Gap Farm near Fairview. The article describes the farm as “a regional symbol of social, agricultural and political development” in the western part of the state.

Wow. That’s quite a statement. The farm sits on 600 acres and is being farmed by the family’s fourth generation. Check out Jamie Ager and his Farmgirl wife Amy Frey Ager, who smartly studied environmental science and business before settling into farm life. One criticism, they’ve got a lot going on but their website is just on the lower end of so-so.

But here’s the most exciting part: the farm is raising pasture-fed cows, sheep, pigs and chickens.

The farm’s promo is: “At Hickory Nut Gap Farm you will find animals raised in their natural outdoor environment. Pigs in the woods, cows on pasture eating grass and clover, multiple species grazing together, drinking clean spring water and living the good life.”

But I digress. No tix required to the exhibit. There’s a reception to open the exhibit and featured fine furniture from area artists on June 5. I’d love to see the furniture too.