Meet Chuck Meadows of Jim Adams Farm & Table

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chuck Meadows.

Chuck, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My family has farmed in Georgia since the 19th century, but less and less with each passing generation. On a spring day in 2012, I took my two daughters to meet one of our last farming kinsfolk – an ever-smiling, kind-spirited man named Willie Adams. Willie lives on the land his grandfather, Jim Adams once farmed – 60 plus acres that sit near the end of Jim Adams Road in Greene County, Georgia.

By then, Willie was already winding down a successful career as a major agricultural producer with a reputation that spread far beyond the rural roads of north-central Georgia. He had transitioned from a large-scale commercial operation, and converted his farm to a smaller, much more environmentally sustainable outfit. Gone were the long, massive units that once housed thousands of chickens, and on their concrete foundations sat raised beds, framed in wood and filled with carefully managed soils.

Cabbages and collards were literally sprawling over the sides of each unit, and I listened to him explain how this approach used less water, required less maintenance, and produced a much more consistent, bountiful crop. The spark ignited almost instantly – if he was producing naturally-grown vegetables and herbs on swaths of concrete in the heart of Greene County, why couldn’t we do the same thing in Atlanta, where there was a growing demand for local, healthy food? His answer was just as immediate. We could, and he would help me.

It only made sense, then, that we would name the newly hatched venture after the man who first purchased the land we stood on back in the early 1900’s, and farmed it with his wife and children. That’s how Jim Adams Farm & Table was born.

Five years later, we signed a lease on several vacant acres of concrete and asphalt in Atlanta’s Pittsburgh neighborhood, and a separate lease on 2800 acres of retail/restaurant space in the Riverside community just 9 miles north. We are building an all-natural urban farm at one site, and an ultra-local farmer’s market and cafe in the other.

In the time between that visit to Greene County and the groundbreakings in Pittsburgh and Riverside, there were countless hours of research, networking, property hunting and spreadsheets – lots and lots of spreadsheets.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
One of the biggest challenges you face when building a farm in the middle of the city comes as no surprise – finding the land. Atlanta has lots of vacant parcels, and they are easy to find. It is not always as easy, however, to find their owners. And when you find them, a farm is generally low on the list of promising opportunities for their site.

Actually, a farm is almost never on that list at all. We soon lost count of all the false starts, draft leases, site plans and proposals negotiated and renegotiated again. We pushed as hard as we could to get both the farm and our storefront on the same site before adopting a two-site solution – at least for now.

Another challenge has been successfully executing an unconventional business plan. Jim Adams Farm & Table is a farm enterprise with its own retail outlet. Very seldom are the two pursuits combined – and even more seldom in an urban environment. It makes what are usually routine functions – accounting, insurance staffing, a consuming and at times frustrating experience.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Jim Adams Farm & Table – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Jim Adams Farm & Table is an all-natural farm, and ultra-local market, and a farm-fresh kitchen. We sow, sell and serve locally-grown produce year-round all in-town Atlanta. Our goal is to consistently deliver delicious and healthy food with an unwavering commitment to environmental sustainability and social responsibility.

Our farm uses no harmful chemicals, and we conserve natural resources in every way possible. Our market will feature our own produce as well as harvests from other local farms. And our kitchen will offer a great-tasting, approachable and affordable menu with the freshest ingredients you can find.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We are anxious to get started. Both sites – the farm and the storefront – are under construction now. We can’t wait to get seeds on the ground and open our doors. We think it will happen in February but we won’t rush it – there’s too much to get right.

Once we’re up and running, we’ll look to expand the farm as quickly as possible – to grow higher quantities and wider varieties of great tasting vegetables, fruits, herbs, and beautiful flowers as well. When the spring comes, we’ll add bee hives to both the Riverside and Pittsburgh sites – which means we’ll be able to offer two varieties of local honey in our market.

Contact Info:

• Address: 2011 Bolton Road, NW
  Suite 109 Atlanta, GA 30318
• Website: jimadams.farm
• Email: contact@jimadams.farm
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimadamsfarms/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JimAdamsFarms/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/JimAdamsFarms

Image Credit:
Jibri Morton

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