The Story Behind It All

The mission of Cottonwood Farm is to produce healthy meats using sustainable practices including rotational grazing, heritage breeds, and non-GMO feeds. Knowing where your food comes from and how its produced is important for the community and the family table.

Cottonwood Farm was passed on to me from my family. My father, Dr. John C. Lowery D.V.M., practiced veterinary medicine in Muscle Shoals, and my late mother, Barbara Lowery, taught riding lessons here. It is composed of 18 acres of rolling hills next to the Tennessee River. It has been the home for horses, Jack Russells, and Full Cry Hounds for a bit. It is now the home to my broiler chickens, layer hens, turkeys, pigs, horse, and various dogs and cats. This is the place I grew up. It's the place where the love for nature and animals was seeded.

I believe in farming with the land and the animals as much as possible, to encourage the natural behavior of an animal. I believe in coming up with solutions to coexist with our environment; therefore, grass-based farming is my "field" of choice. The meat is happier, healthier, and just plain better.

I started falling in love with this rocky road of farm life during college. It was there, I discovered my passion for attempting to right some of the wrongs our civilization has placed into some of our food systems. To be quite honest, I never thought I would come back to reside in the Shoals. After years of being away, this farm and this place called me back home. I realized there is a deeper understanding here and a greater need for locally grown food than when I left.