MABE FARM

All in the Family…

BY CAROLYN DRINKARD

MABE Farm is located in Perry County, Alabama, between Uniontown and Newbern. For the past 16 years, Menno and April Clemmer have run this small, peaceful hobby farm mainly for pleasure, rather than profit. Menno manages a catfish farm, while April works as a full-time mom (“sports mom”) to their two active children: Brayden (14) and Elizabeth (12).

The Clemmers named their farm MABE, an acronym using the first letter of each family member’s name: M (Menno); A (April); B (Brayden); and E (Elizabeth). A family who values hard work and serving others runs this farm.

The Clemmers live simply and practice self-sustainability. Each year, they plant a garden to supply vegetables and fruits for their table. They raise their own meat, feeding out one steer and a few hogs for their meat supply. They raise

April spends much time with her gentle, loving Nubians. These beauties, with their large pendulous ears, get along with everybody, including other animals. They make excellent pets.

Free range chickens provide eggs for eating and fertilizer for the fields.

backyard chickens that free range and provide eggs for their needs and fertilizer for the fields. The family sells any eggs that they don’t use.

The Clemmers have a heart for the outdoors, and they are passionate about raising their children around farming and animals. MABE Farm is a happy peaceful place, home to a large variety of animals. For years, Menno Clemmer raised Boer-mixed goats. When he decided to sell, he got into the sheep business, with a Dorper/Katahdin mixed flock. At one

April Clemmer has always been passionate about animals. When she decided to get into the goat business, she chose Nubians. A friend let her have some babies to start her own small flock. She now has six nannies, a billy and many babies. time, he had over 100 head. After Menno downsized to a more manageable herd of 15 ewes, April and the children took over caring for the sheep. Menno also feeds a small herd of Angus, Brahma and longhorned cows.

When April decided to get into the goat business, she chose Nubians. A close friend raised this breed, so she let April have some babies to start a small flock. Now, six nannies, a billy and many kids jump and play around the farm. April does not milk her goats, even though their milk is high in butterfat and ideal for cheese making. These lop-eared beauties have a gentle nature, along with amazing coloring, which makes them even more appealing.

“These are the sweetest goats,” April stated. “They are easy to handle and so loving. They make great pets.”

April never misses a chance to bottle feed a baby. She often buys orphaned dairy calves at the Uniontown Stockyard, just so she can bottle-feed them.

“It takes up a lot of time,” she laughed, "but it gives me something to mess with.” She usually sells the bottle babies after they are grown.

April’s bottle babies aren’t limited to calves, lambs or goats. When a baby piglet was born with two front legs bent underneath its body, April not only bottle fed the tiny pig, she also fashioned leg braces out of Popsicle sticks to make the malformed legs bend frontwards. The Clemmers named the tiny creature Peaches. Later, Peaches was able to walk on her own. Peaches still lives on MABE Farm, happily grazing among all the other animals.

When Peaches, the pig, was born, her front legs were bent beneath her. April fashioned braces from Popsicle sticks to bend the legs forward. April bottle-fed her until she was able to walk on her own. Now, Peaches lives happily on MABE Farm, grazing peacefully among all the other animals.

Elizabeth Clemmer holds a piglet during feeding time with her father, Menno (R).

The Clemmers have 18 other pigs, which they feed for meat. They take one or two to an outside butcher, who prepares the pork for their freezer.

“We know the meat is healthy because we fed the pigs,” April stated. “We know where our food comes from and what these animals ate. We like that, but it’s still hard to see any of our animals go.”

A trip to MABE Farm is an animal lover’s delight. Besides goats, sheep, cows, pigs and chickens, the Clemmers also have guineas, peacocks and turkeys. Nine barn cats roam the farm to keep mice out of the feed sacks. Four large Pyrenees dogs guard all the other animals. June (Carter Cash) and Lacey (Eddie) keep an eye on the sheep; A.J. (McCarron) watches the goats; and Saban (Nick) protects the chickens. The Clemmers raise pups from their females and sell them to those wanting farm-raised, well-trained Livestock Guard Dogs (LGDs).

The Clemmers rely on the Greensboro Farmers Co-op for their animal feed. At one time, they cut their own hay, but now they buy from local sources. This year, they have been blessed with an adequate supply of grass, which has fed most of the foragers.

April, Menno, Brayden and Elizabeth Clemmer live their family hobby farm, but it requires hard work and a 24/7 commitment from the whole family. All of the animals must be fed and watered daily. For Brayden, who is very active in school sports, the farm requires many extra hours to complete his chores.

MABE Farm has a Facebook page, which describes their farm as “just for fun!” April often posts delightful pictures and videos of the animals and the children interacting and playing together.

Life on MABE Farm is all about family. While working together, close to nature in the great outdoors, the Clemmers have developed a deep appreciation for the land but an even deeper respect for life.

MABE Farm has two pairs of peacocks. This beautiful male has a solid white mate. The Clemmers hope to raise offspring from the unusual pair.