Farm Tour Returns Saturday: Fat Daddy is on a mission
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Fat Daddy Farms LLC is a locally owned farm in Thomasville, its purpose to provide a fun farm venue for community events. They host farm events themselves as well as weddings, birthdays and photoshoots.
Mike Sawyer is a first-generation farmer who has always had his hands buried in dirt. Born outside of the D.C. area, Sawyer moved to the Piedmont Triad with his family while in the seventh grade. After graduating high school, he joined the Army where he served proudly for three years. Sawyer began working in landscape and eventually owned his own business. After 30 years, the passion for the industry burned out, and it was then he knew it was time for a change. With prayer and planning he decided to create a farm, and not just any farm, but one with a mission.
The farm was purchased in 2019 with the goal to change the community by providing food for all in a food desert. “Fat Daddy is a character from my boys’ night-night stories. After prayers, I would tuck in my boys and tell them some wild story and ‘Captain Jack’ and ‘Mad Man Preston’ would have to come save the day! And so that is how Fat Daddy Farms was born.”
His boys made a huge impact in his life and the love Sawyer has to give to them spreads out through his nonprofit, Mercy Gardens, where he has created a program called Totes of Love. It provides a tote, small enough for a kid to carry, that contains essentials like t-shirts, socks, underwear, hygiene products, school supplies, and most importantly, food items, things we can sometimes take for granted.
At Fat Daddy Farms, the love spreads to farm animals, too. They currently have about 75 Dwarf Nigerian goats and 40 chickens. Their hens are in their second season of egg production. One of the farm events Fat Daddy hosted in the past was goat yoga, which included lots of laughs and smiles with some friendly farm animals. Fat Daddy plans to add more chickens in the future along with pigs, donkeys and peacocks.
When you get back to the dirt at hand, this farm uses a combination of methods to grow its produce. Some of the garden's fresh veggies include okra, beets, radishes, carrots, squash, zucchini and various types of peppers.
Because Fat Daddy Farm is a working farm and they host events, those interested can always book an appointment to join them on the farm for a tour at Fat Daddy Farms.
To take a closer look and be in the know, follow Fat Daddy Farms’ social media pages, Facebook and Instagram to see what events they will be hosting and with what organizations they are linked.
