Black Bottom Farm Collective, LLC
Nutrient dense food:
Locally sourced
Responsibly grown
Fresh from the farm
- ABOUT US -
In 2009 Kim Wagner was diagnosed with late stage breast cancer. Driven by her diagnosis, treatment, and frustration with sourcing local nutrient dense, ethically grown clean food, she began farming. Her nursing background, personal history, and passion for honest local food gave her an unconventional approach to raising livestock sustainablly and humanely.
Learning quickly, she began raising pigs, chickens, turkeys, and veal calves on 50 acres of open range, ponds, and woodlots. She took care to honor the strong social bonds and natural instincts of her animals- recognizing their individual habits and personalities, allowing them to explore, roam, root, and wallow in an idyllically natural eastern shore setting, all without the use of antibiotics, growth stimulants, routine chemical dewormers, or soy products.
She is on a mission to provide the most nutrient dense food possible in a way that benefits the animal, the farmer, the land, and the consumer. This idea grew and in 2017 the concept of a collective was born out of Kim's twin desires to bring clean, honest, sustainable, traceable food to others facing cancer, and to foster the next generation of farmers.
Staying true to this mission, we source all products from within 100 miles of the greater Chesapeake region (products come DE, MD, VA, DC, and Southern PA) and partner with growers and producers who hold themselves to high standards of care for their creatures and plants, their customers, and our earth. We encourage transparency in our practices and those of our partners, the reduction of pesticide and herbicide use, the utilization of biodynamic, regenerative, and organic farming practices, and the use of eco- and pollinator friendly practices.
We help cultivate our local growing and good food producing movement by partnering with beginning farmers, small-scale operations, and innovative thinkers. By aggregating their products we open up new and diverse markets for them, while taking the stress off of consumers to shop for products that are good for their health and good for the earth.
When she began The Collective it was important to Kim to build a model that supported new farmers and local innovators. In addition to offering new markets to our partners, being a part of The Collective means that they have access to mentorship from an experienced farming community, led by Kim. We also help walk new farmers through the ins and outs of food safety, as well as farming, processing, and vending regulations and offer marketing help to new growers in search of markets and a distinct brand. Additionally, as we grow, we hope to offer partners access to a mobile state-licensed certified kitchen.
In her transition out of livestock rearing and into running The Collective, Kim was careful to select young farmers, returning veterans, and beginning farmers to take her place leading her beloved herd of pigs (Brian, Abundant Grace Farm) caring for the 50 acres she tended to (Matt, Trouw Bidden Farms, LLC), and helping her to start this new endeavor (Hannah).
