Grady Phelan
Farm Manager, Pastured Poultry and Processing Plant
Grady grew up on a ranch in southwest Oklahoma where his father operates stocker steers and a commercial hair sheep flock. Grady's father taught him about holistic farm management and exposed him to holistically-minded authors and farmers. After graduating from Oklahoma State University with a B.S in Zoology, Grady accepted a year-long apprenticeship at Polyface Farm to learn directly from one of his favorite farmer-authors, Joel Salatin.
Grady returned to Oklahoma after his apprenticeship to farm alongside his father, mother and new bride, Erin, whom he'd met at Polyface Farm. In addition to day jobs and farming, Grady and Erin built a direct-market business selling raw milk, pastured poultry (meat and eggs), grass-fed lamb and beef, and pastured pork. In 2011, a devastating drought kindled a wild fire that claimed 75% of their grass. Sadly, their business was hit too hard to recover.
Not to be deterred, the Phelans accepted a position managing Briarmoor, a Polyface rental farm in Middlebrook, Virginia. They ran 300 cattle, 100 pigs and 1,700 laying hens, and produced and processed 5500 broilers (chicken for meat) and 600 turkeys each year. Grady and Erin returned to Oklahoma after two seasons at Briarmoor, where Grady taught chemistry at Ponca City High School until joining Cobb Creek Farm in June 2013. Grady manages the poultry and poultry processing plant and helps out with the cattle. He and Erin are blessed with two sons, Ralph and Benno.
Seth Stallings
Seth grew up in a small town in far eastern Oklahoma. While not growing up farming he was immersed in country life as well as around farming family members. In college Seth was exposed to Wendell Berry, Michael Pollan, and caught the farming bug. After graduation Seth worked for a year at the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture both in the livestock and horticulture programs. Upon leaving the Kerr Center Seth and wife Tarah interned at Polyface Farm with the Salatin family. After moving back to Oklahoma in 2012 Seth and Tarah have raised pastured broilers in both urban and rural areas. Currently, Seth, Tarah, and daughter Ruby own and operate Amistad Farm LLC in Pink, OK. Seth also runs a 3 acre school garden program in south Oklahoma City.