Rising Stars: Meet Joy Carter of Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joy Carter

Hi Joy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
In 2016, after moving into a new subdivision heavily populated with trees, I decided to make my own honey to be able to support 2 of my sons who suffer with allergies. I figured that having honey from their own yard would help ease their symptoms during the rough seasons. It took at least 3 years For me to finally have a successful honey harvest as a bee keeper. In the summer of 2017, one of my sons attended a farm camp. Truly Living Well. He was in charge of helping with the chicken coop, so he would bring home eggs some days. Naturally, I wanted to figure out how to have our own eggs at our own home. I did. I got a chicken coop, and then got some chicks in spring 2018. By the fall, we had OUR OWN eggs. So at this point, we have bees for our own honey, and chickens for our own eggs. All along, I was dibbling & dabbling in the dirt growing small veggie plants here and there.
For years and years I’d always had an interest in growing my own garden, I just never really had the space or the time to focus on having a successful garden. During COVID, I was able to put more time into creating my garden space and actually learning how to successfully grow the vegetables that I wanted to grow for my family. My 2020 garden was booming and gave me the confidence to continue to work at getting even better at it. During covid, a friend brought me an old Styrofoam incubator that she had laying around. I put some eggs in it, and with lessons from YOUTUBE UNIVERSITY, I managed to hatch about 9 eggs on June 11, 2020. Around this time, I unofficially named my backyard space, BEE FREE FARM.
For Over 20 years, I served as an educator with Atlanta public schools. My title was paraprofessional. However, for my last 7 years, I served as an intervention teacher. In this role I was able to work with students who were struggling learners and need a little more assistance with their academics. These were the students who had the opportunity to come outside with me to tend to the garden that I was growing at the school. I really enjoyed watching their excitement when they would see different things grow or even when I showed them how to plant in and keep the garden beds clean. When you have students who may not be getting as much recognition academically, in the classroom, it’s important to give them other opportunities to feel success. It was always in the back of my mind “How can I make this happen everyday? How can I touch other struggling learners in this same way?”
During the spring semester of school year 2022-2023, I decided to hatch a dozen of eggs from my farm in the 1st grade classroom I was working with. Little did I know THAT would be the game changer for me. Of course, the students loved it.
Each day, awaiting the big hatch day. And they definitely enjoyed taking care of the chicks once they arrived. During these weeks a pre-k coordinator from the district happens to come by and saw what I had going on. She was very excited and and was very emphatic that I offer something like this to the Pre-K department. She explained to me that Georgia Pre-K invests in opportunities like this for their students. Immediately in my mind I said “SAY LESS”. I had been at the same school for almost 20 years, and needless to say, I already had the itch to leave And recreate myself as an educator. This was just the opportunity that I was looking for.
I immediately began to strategize about how I could make this happen throughout the district and create an income. Day after day night after night week after week I continued 2 think of ways as well as research how to do chick hatching in classrooms. During this time I even applied with another district for an intervention position that offered me a much higher salary. The interview went great and I thought I had the job. However, the teacher who’s position I was going to take decided to stay. I was back at the drawing board and decided to pursue my research on how to do the chick hatching in classrooms. Eventually I had to make the decision to resign for The next school year or let them know that I was staying. I didn’t want to stay. It was scary, but I resigned from the district after over 20 years. My entire 2023 summer was consumed with me creating and branding my farm to be one that provides educational opportunities for students around the b city. My 1st program was definitely tutorial. Especially for struggling students. Fortunately, my rapport with my
Prior students was good.
A couple of the parents wanted me to continue to work with their children after school. Outside of tutoring in the afternoons, Each day I would get up like I was going to work and I went to at least five schools a day to advertise my chick catching program. I usually spoke with a Principal, assistant principal or a STEAM teacher in the building. I used enlarged pictures of the hatch that I had done with the first graders in my class. Educators are visual. We like to actually SEE what you are talking to us about. I can truly say that my leg work and persistence paid off. By mid October of 2023, I was doing my very 1st hatch in a school. That progran is called SUNNY SIDE UP CHICK HATCHING PROGRAM. Fortunately, I’ve been hatching around Atlanta City and Fulton County Schools for 1 full year now. Eventually?
One of the schools that I did a hatch at wanted to keep their chicks. They also had a garden that needed to be managed.I told the principal that I could handle the garden, as well as teach them how to care for the chickens. She asked me to provide this service for her students at least once a week.
This is how my EXPLORING AGRICULTURE PROGRAM was born.

So now, Bee Free Farm has 4 educational programs. Tutorial Services, Sunny Side Up, Exploring Agriculture, Cooped Up (teaching families how to raise and care for backyard chickens)

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been extremely smooth, but it hasn’t been a nightmare. My greatest challenges have been:
1. Financial- having to figure out how to get the start-up funds for equipment/ supplies etc
2. Technology- learning how to utilize technology/ social media to my benefit

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am an Educator. I have been able to combine my niche/ hobby with education. So now, each day I go to schools teaching students about agricultural practices. I show them how to maintain thru school gardens and take good care of their school’s flock of chicken.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
I like having the freedom and space to be able to introduce agricultural practices to students across multiple school districts.
I dislike that many schools cannot afford for me to provide my services to their students. I wish that I could find a grant that funds me to be able to providebmy services to as many schools as possible.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.beefreefarmatl.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beefreefarmatl?utm_source=qr&igsh=MW94a2VxdXUzZG9wMA==
• Twitter: @beefreefarmatl