Alyssa Ridenour
reporter@greenepublishing.com
Sunny Gale Farms was founded about 20 years ago as a catfish farm, in Greenville, by George and Gale Blevins. The Blevins met through work in St. Petersburg, Fla., many years ago, when Gale was working as a secretary at an engineering company where George was also employed. The pair have been married for 38 years and raised three children together. They now have seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Gale is originally from the midwest, and her husband, George, was a military kid, who spent much of his childhood relocating to different military bases. Neither one of them grew up on a farm, but they had family who did. The Blevins heard that land was cheap in the area and decided to take a trip to Madison County to see what all the hype was about. They found some land and would later spend every weekend coming up to Madison County from St. Petersburg to clear the land. In the beginning, they stayed on the land in a camper, and later, they had a mobile home brought in. After about seven years, Mr. Blevins began building a house, which he did almost entirely on his own. Due to his previous experience as a structural engineer, he knew what he was doing and after about a year and a half, the Blevins had a new home.
For about six years, they held band camps on their land, and the Salvation Army sent a group of college kids to help them every summer. Mrs. Blevins was inspired to do this because she was a teacher and noticed a lack of musical influence in the school system. At the time, her husband was also involved with the local volunteer fire department. In 2016, they retired from everything they were doing and went full-time into the farming industry, continuing their catfish farm.
About three years ago, the couple transitioned into goat farming. They had always loved goats and were interested in possibly farming them. However, it was their granddaughter who drove them to make the final decision to dive into it. At the time, she was eight-years-old and in love with goats, and as any grandparents would, they did what they had to for their granddaughter. They began farming goats.
They now have between 60 and 70 goats, eight cows, one donkey, one horse, five dogs and about 40 chickens. They no longer farm catfish, and their goats serve a few different purposes. They auction them, sell them, breed them and take them to be butchered for meat. Some people buy them as pets. Others buy them for food, and some buy them for farming and breeding. They also sell eggs at the farmer’s market.
The Blevins explained that the goat industry is one of the fastest growing agricultural industries. They also mentioned their love for all the people they meet. They have the unique opportunity to build relationships with buyers from many different cultures, especially during certain times of the year. America is a country that eats a lot of beef and pork. However, people from other countries often view pork as unclean and cows as sacred, due to their religion. This allows the Blevins to meet individuals from all walks of life. They have developed a love for the community and plan to continue serving people for a long time to come.
The Blevins can be reached at: (850) 776-9751. If you are interested in purchasing a goat, they are highly educated on the subject and can answer nearly any question asked. Sunny Gale Farms, Inc. is located at: 881 SW 1 Federal Rd., in Greenville.