LIFE
on the
MOUNTAIN
Mar Farm was born from quest for clean eating and wellness
BY JEANA DURST
There are turning points in life—times that
grab us, shake us up, and deposit us on the
other side, forever changed and ready for a
new beginning. It’s just such a life event that
was behind the creation of the Mar Farm, a
sustainable hobby farm located on a treelined
peak near Oak Mountain State Park in Pelham. In
overcoming health trials would lead to a business,
though she had always dreamt of raising her
family on a farm.
A mother of three, Director of Franchise Sales
for Newk’s Corporate, Hoover City School Board
member, and competitive equestrian, Debbie
is never one to walk away from a challenge.
Recently, I had the chance to visit Mar Farm and
I met Karen the Great Pyrenees, three other farm
pups, an extended family of goats (including Carl
who greeted me on the porch), and about 30
chickens of countless varieties.
THE SEEDS OF CHANGE
family when Debbie was diagnosed with ankylosing
spondylitis. Normally an athletic person, Debbie
had been struggling with joint pain at the time. “You
never think you are going to go to the doctor one
day and never be well again,” she says. Ankylosing
spondylitis is an autoimmune disease that attacks your
joints and fuses your spine. “I went through a year of
trying medications and learning how much gut health
relates to autoimmune issues—it has a lot to do with
what you put into your body and the kind of lifestyle
purchased the Mar Farm property, which turned out
to open up a very important path.
Knowing that clean eating could greatly impact
her health and quality of life, Debbie decided to act
proactively. “The medicines do what they do, but I
26 Bham Family July 2020
PHOTOS COURTESY OF PIPPA GAISER
Hoover middle schooler Vance Gaiser helps make
homemade goat soaps at Mar Farm.
she did was to eliminate cow-based products and
reduce processed foods. “I started thinking about
our food, where it comes from, and what we put on
our bodies,” she says. So they began raising their own
chickens for fresh organic eggs. With adjustments,
such as eliminating milk, sugar, and gluten, Debbie
began to notice considerable improvements with her
pain, and she lost weight that she had gained from
being on steroid medications.
A FAMILY AFFAIR
Naturally, Debbie wanted her family to
well. But she had other reasons for starting the
farm. “I grew up working on a horse farm, and
I knew that I wanted to have my kids grow up
with farm animals,” she says. “I wanted them to
have the responsibility of having to take care of
animals—to know what work does for you.”
The day I visited, her daughters, Pippa, 11,