Northwest Missouri Family Takes On Urban Farming
By: Melinda Barrett
Updated: December 11, 2012
(KING CITY, Mo.) Dustin Piper and his father are building a chicken coop in their backyard.
"We're going to have about eight to ten chickens," said Dustin Piper, King City.
It started as an FFA project for Dustin's school.
But now, the family is taking it a step further and working towards a new initiative, urban farming.
It's a growing trend that makes growing your own food possible while living in town.
"It just shows that you don't have to be on a farm, you can do it pretty much anywhere," said Dustin.
"It's sort of like this romantic thing going on now where people want to know where their food is coming from," said Jessica Piper, King City.
The Pipers live in town in King City, and they're starting their urban farm with chickens.
"He wanted something with livestock, and also I wanted something that we could sustain, something that we can have on a small piece of property, which we have," said Jessica.
Even with a small piece of property, the possibilities are endless when it comes to sustainable city living.
"You can throw your kitchen scraps out there and the chickens will compost it. People think it's sort of hippie-like, but it's not. I drive an SUV and I wear deodorant. It's not hippie, it's just taking care of yourself and doing everything local," said Jessica.
That notion is moving the Pipers to sustainable city living.
"In the next five years, I hope to have this backyard as a garden. The kids really like it because they eat fresh vegetables if they grown them. They're not crazy about vegetables but if they're their beans, then they'll eat them," said Jessica.
The Pipers are proving that whether it's raising chickens or growing a garden of vegetables, a lot of acreage isn't necessary to grow your own food.
"We're going to have about eight to ten chickens," said Dustin Piper, King City.
It started as an FFA project for Dustin's school.
But now, the family is taking it a step further and working towards a new initiative, urban farming.
It's a growing trend that makes growing your own food possible while living in town.
"It just shows that you don't have to be on a farm, you can do it pretty much anywhere," said Dustin.
"It's sort of like this romantic thing going on now where people want to know where their food is coming from," said Jessica Piper, King City.
The Pipers live in town in King City, and they're starting their urban farm with chickens.
"He wanted something with livestock, and also I wanted something that we could sustain, something that we can have on a small piece of property, which we have," said Jessica.
Even with a small piece of property, the possibilities are endless when it comes to sustainable city living.
"You can throw your kitchen scraps out there and the chickens will compost it. People think it's sort of hippie-like, but it's not. I drive an SUV and I wear deodorant. It's not hippie, it's just taking care of yourself and doing everything local," said Jessica.
That notion is moving the Pipers to sustainable city living.
"In the next five years, I hope to have this backyard as a garden. The kids really like it because they eat fresh vegetables if they grown them. They're not crazy about vegetables but if they're their beans, then they'll eat them," said Jessica.
The Pipers are proving that whether it's raising chickens or growing a garden of vegetables, a lot of acreage isn't necessary to grow your own food.
