“We need the American farmer,”: Why Bert Woodham is proud to be a farmer

GENEVA COUNTY, Ala. (WTVY) - While many farmers focus on one type of livestock, Bert Woodham tries his hand with almost any animal he can get his hands on.

Woodham was first introduced to farming by his father when he was a child. He says his time on the farm developed his skills as a farmer and made him into the man he is today.

“My dad raised me and my brother and my sister on the farm,” said Woodham. “We learned a lot about hard work, ethics, and treating people right. We learn how to treat people right by treating animals right.”

Now, Woodham owns Woodham Farms just inside the limits of Geneva County. Throughout his pastures, you can find pigs, cows, sheep and goats. He even recently got into beekeeping.

“I guess you’d say on one hand, it’s a lot of trouble having four different species. The main thing is the fencing,” said Woodham. “What will hold a cow won’t hold a goat. What will hold a goat won’t necessarily hold a pig. We have dogs, these five different guard dogs that we’ve got so our fences have to be good enough to hold the dogs where the sheep are going to be.”

When he’s not on the farm, Woodham can be found at his brick-and-mortar location, JBW Farm Fresh, located at 8232 Highway 84 West. This is where people can come by and purchase products from Woodham’s farm, including fresh cuts of meat and more.

“We’ve seen we can do other products besides just the types of beef,” said Woodham. “We do tallow products; we’ve added pork and we’re fixing to add sheep and goat in there.”

While it started as family work, farming has become Woodham’s passion.

“My name is Bert Woodham and I’m proud to be a farmer,” said Woodham. “We don’t need to lose our ability to be able to grow plants, grow animals, harvest food, or take care of ourselves and take care of others around us. We need the American farmer.”

To look at or shop among the products at his store, visit his website by clicking here.

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