Beulah Land Farms in Abbeville County is a place where dreams come
true--particularly for members of the Pan African Orthodox Christian Church. For
twenty-five years, church members have searched for land, collected money,
gathered resources, and prayed that they would someday find the perfect spot to
establish Beulah Land Farms. The plan started coming together when they located
and purchased 2,600 acres in Abbeville County to establish a retreat for church
members and eventually a summer camp for inner-city children. With NRCS
technical assistance and an abundance of dedication, faith, and commitment from
church members and volunteers, Beulah Land Farms is finally becoming a reality.
Farm Manager Dr. Wesley Godfrey is no stranger to farming. A graduate of
Tuskegee University (biology/pre-veterinary medicine) and the University of
Michigan (urban and regional planning), Godfrey has over 30 years of farming
experience. While at Tuskegee, he completed a work-study project at the Tuskegee
University School of Agriculture where they grew produce and sold the goods in
church baskets to the needy. "We sold food baskets for $4 filled with food
essentials worth at least $25 to those who desperately needed assistance,"
he remembers. "That was the hook for me—knowing that I was making a
difference in the health and well being of those who needed our help," he
confided. Thus, Godfrey was inspired by his college experience and still
has a passion for reaching out to those in need. He lives in Louisiana, but
since the acquisition of Beulah Land Farms spends more time in South Carolina
than in his home state. He contacted the NRCS Abbeville Field Office and
developed a close working relationship with the staff.
NRCS District Conservationist Frank Love and Soil Conservationist Donna Ray
have worked with Beulah Land Farms staff to plan two catfish ponds, inventory
pastureland for a prescribed grazing system, plan for a swine waste management
facility, and develop a forest stewardship plan. The farm consists of 888 acres
to be used for hay, cattle, goats, sheep, and horse production, ten acres of
catfish farms, and the majority of the remaining acreage used for timber and
food production. Love spoke highly of the volunteers and church members and of
their commitment to conservation and wise use of natural resources. "It is
really exciting to work with this group of dedicated individuals who have such a
diversity and abundance of resources, equipment, knowledge, and are committed to
caring for those in need as well as caring for the land," he commented.
Godfrey and his staff have shipped most of their livestock in from Michigan
State University (except the goats which came from Louisiana).
The church members have a vision for the farm that includes a learning center
where inner-city children and missionaries from across the country can
experience rural life on the farm. "We hope to expose them to agri-business
and farm life in a hands-on method which they couldn’t experience growing up
in
the city," explained Godfrey. He also hopes to include NRCS
conservationists in the education program to teach participants about
conservation and good land stewardship.
Ray said that she too has enjoyed working at Beulah Land Farms and calls
Godfrey and his fellow church members model conservationists. "It’s not
too often that you have the privilege of working with so many people that are
intently focused on a similar goal and who have the resources and willpower to
attain those goals," she remarked. Godfrey thanked Ray and Love for their
technical guidance and support by saying, "We wanted to avoid potential
problems instead of having to go back and correct them later—and this is where
NRCS has been crucial to our development." The success of Beulah Land Farms
is truly a testament of faith, hard work, and perseverance. "This is a
joint effort that could not have been realized without the assistance of each
and every individual who offered their time and assistance," said Godfrey.
With continued support and dedication from church members, the hope that Beulah
Land Farms will make a difference in the lives of the needy and in the life
experiences of children and missionaries will soon become a reality.
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