About
Company Overview:
A Christian Co-operative: Great Shepherd Ranch will be a two sided business with one part being a “for-profit” organic farm and the other part being a “non-profit” organization providing food and shelter to people in need. Great Shepherd Ranch will also be built as a multi-functional community for all Christian believers regardless of denomination and will eventually become a “safe haven” for Christian believers during the end times. Our standards will be based on Biblical principals.
The Beginning:
I’ve always dreamed of living on a farm. My original idea was just a small farm, somewhere out in the country with a hand full of cats, dogs, and several horses. In January of 2007, I started thinking about my dream and the idea took off into a whole new direction. At that time, God started putting new dreams and ideas into my mind. My dream of a small farm suddenly grew into a much bigger project than I had intended.
Over the months that followed, I have been organizing and developing my dream. God continues to show me ways that I can improve this project and build on it. He constantly gives me thoughts, ideas, and reveals His own plans for this project.
The New Direction:
Here is what my small farm idea has turned into.
The plan is to buy 500 acres of land located somewhere in the mountains of eastern Tennessee or south eastern Kentucky. The land will preferably be mostly wooded and undeveloped. The land will then be divided into sections which will be developed and cleared according to specific plans as drawn out on paper. Each section will be used for a different purpose. The current plans are as follows:
Central section of 10 acres- Community Lodge
*This section will house a large log cabin that will serve as a community lodge. There will be rooms for dining and rooms for meeting together. Church services will be held in this lodge and there will also be game rooms for youth and kids as well as a theater room for viewing movies. The property will display various flower gardens and may also include two or more buildings with dog kennels and runs for our breeding program.
Four sections of 5 acres- Family Living
*These 5 acre sections will be my family’s personal living property and will be developed to house each member of my immediate family. One lot will be my own, one will be for my mom, and one each for my two brothers and their future families to live on.
Four sections of 10 acres- Community Living
*These 10 acre sections will be developed with housing for people that choose to become part of the community and live on our farm with us. The exact design has not yet been determined but it may be somewhat like apartments or condos with much more to offer than your normal complex. There will be a section just for single (unmarried) women, another section just for single (unmarried) men, one for married couples and families, and another for seniors. Each section may inlude swimming pools and recreation areas and a play ground for children but exact plans have not yet been determined for this.
Eight sections of 5 acres- Veggie Fields/Fruit Orchards
*These 5 acre sections will be developed into vegetable fields and fruit orchards. They will be divided with 4 sections for each purpose. These sections will not all be in the same location but instead will be split into 4 groups of 2 lots, each with one section for vegetable fields and the other for fruit orchards. There may be walk ways going between the fields and orchards in each group to allow for enjoyable walks during afternoons with nice weather.
Four sections of 10 acres- Livestock/Cattle Pasture
*These 10 acre sections will be developed into grazing pastures for cattle and livestock. Much like the vegetable fields and fruit orchards, these sections will each be in a different location on the property and each will house its own barn and storage building for feed and supplies. Exact design and use for each pasture has yet to be fully determined.
Twelve sections of 20 acres- Various Purposes
*These 20 acre sections will be used for various purposes. Some of these purposes include: Growing trees for the purpose of firewood, Growing hay/grain to feed livestock/cattle, Possible recreation and camping park areas, Life-size Christmas Village for Holiday enjoyment, and many other uses.
One section of 10 acres- Front Gate/Office Buildings
*This section will be located in the front of the property and will be the Main Entrance with a large front gate. There will also be office buildings on this section. The type of business and job positions held in these buildings will be determined at a later time. A “Welcome Center” will be included among these buildings.
Surrounding border of 100 acres- Wall/Moat Property Border
*This section will run along the entire border, all the way around the farm. The outside edge of this section will have a large reinforced concrete wall to insure that our farm can be safe and protected. There may be wild berry vines grown along the inside edge of this wall. Also near the inside edge of the wall will be a stream of water that will be directed to run along the entire inside border of the property and wall. On the far inside edge of this section, nearest to the other sections inside, will be another, smaller metal fence that will run along the entire border of the property on the inside. There will be a bit of land between the stream and the inside fence. Exact use of this bit of land has yet to be fully determined.
The above descriptions should give you a more clear idea about what we plan to do with this project. As mentioned before, these sections will all total to 500 acres of land. Each acre, will be used for a purpose no matter what that purpose is. Not a single bit of space will be wasted or just left to sit with nothing on it.
Other plans for this project will be detailed in the next paragraph.
We plan to dig wells and tap into underground springs to use for our source of water. We also expect to have a stream running along the property which will provide another source of water. For electricity, we plan to use several different sources. These may include: Building a power house with a water wheel along the side of a stream, running wind powered turbines, investing in solar panels to be installed in various places along the property, and investing in anaerobic digestion systems to produce biogases which will then be used to produce electricity. We will have underground food storage cellars in different locations along the property. The housing will be built and equipped for survival both with and without electricity. This means that the housing will NOT be total electric but instead will be dual- both electric and non-electric. This is so that the community will be able to continue normal function in any event in which there is no electricity.
There are many types of animals and livestock that we plan to raise. The following will be raised for the purpose of food (for those that enjoy eating meats).
*Bison (possibly)
*Cattle
*Chickens
*Oxen
*Pigs
*Turkeys
The animals below will be raised as pets for pure enjoyment.
*Cats
*Dogs
*Horses
*Rabbits (possibly)
The vegetable gardens and fruit orchards will contain a variety of produce. Some of the vegetables may include but will not be limited to:
*Broccoli
*Carrots
*Corn
*Cabbage
*Cucumbers
*Green Beans
*Lettuce
*Onions
*Peas
*Potatoes
*Squash
*Tomatoes
*Zucchini
The herb/spice gardens may include:
*Aloe
*Black Pepper
*Catnip
*Cayenne Pepper
*Chile Pepper
*Chili Powder
*Chives
*Cinnamon
*Dill
*Eucalyptus
*Garlic
*Lavender
*Mint
*Mustard
*Nutmeg
*Paprika
*Parsley
*Peppermint
*Rosehips
*Spearmint
*Vanilla
There may be some vineyards which may include:
*Blueberries
*Cantaloupe
*Grapes
*Peanuts
*Pumpkin
*Strawberries
*Watermelons
The orchards may include:
*Apples
*Mulberries
*Peaches
*Pears
*Pecans
*Walnuts
The grain fields may include:
*Oats
*Rice
*Rye
*Wheat
Edible flower gardens may include:
*Clover
*Dandelion
*Rose
*Violet
There will be many types of entertainment and activities to enjoy within the community. Some of them may include:
*Camping
*Concerts
*Fishing
*Go-Carting
*Hiking
*Horseback Riding
*Movies
*Picnics
*Sports
*Sledding
*Swimming
NOTE: All livestock and produce will be organically raised in the best and healthiest possible conditions.