Ijamsville/Urbana Maryland, United States
Our Story
From the Burbs to the Barn
We’re Paul, Lauren, Esme, Emery, Jace & Gage!
If you had told me a few years ago that I’d get stuck inside a chicken coop, frantically tackle a stray sheep with my full body, become friends with the old retired farmers at our local farm supply shop, inject fluid up a mama cows mutilated teet and many other hilarious things I’ve done the past few years, I would have laughed in your face. While Paul grew up in a more rural suburb and spent summers helping local farmers haul hay, I was a suburban girl through and through. My only experience with animals was flushing my dead goldfish down the toilet and once a year holding my nose while begrudgingly walking through the dairy and sheep barns at the county fair. To make things worse, Paul had always laughed at my black thumb – I couldn't even keep a house alive in our early marriage. Needless to say, every single part of farm life has been an incredible learning experience, filled with laughter and lots of facepalm moments!
During the last five years, we’ve laughed a lot and grown a lot, hit dead ends and made mistakes. We’ve seen God provide in extraordinary abundance, and we trust Him when the path isn’t smooth and easy. We continue to learn the balance of working hard and playing hard, as we seek to give our kids this character forming experience of farm life along with the amazing joys and extra fun it also brings!
We currently are raising, eating and selling grass-fed beef and growing and selling cut-flowers. I'm in my third year of flower farming and I am so thrilled with how it's blossomed (pun intended :)) I supply table top arrangements to local restaurants, have a growing number of flower subscriptions, and love hosting workshops and events on the farm. We continue to dream and make plans about how our little farm might grow and involve our community. Stay tuned for some of our ideas and plans as they unfold!
Lauren Rohwer
Owner/Operator of Hilltop Blooms & Beef
