Eric Foster-Whiddon l Four Daughters Cattle Company
Owned and Operated Locally by: Heath Dorminey
Volume 16
Here we go, 2022!
Publisher/Art Director Heath Dorminey Editor
Contributors Eileen Moynahan Jennifer Hill Jill Stringfellow Carlos Lopez Nadin Sh Cover Photo Nathan Fussell
Advertising 229-798-2245
moultriemagazine@gmail.com
Correspondence
We welcome your comments/suggestions:
P.O. Box 2962 Moultrie, Georgia 31776 Email: moultriemagazine@gmail.com Web:
www.moultriemagazineonline.com Disclaimer:
Any ideas or opinions expressed in the content of Moultrie Magazine are not necessarily the views of the publisher. All claims, materials and photos furnished or advertisments used are, to the publisher’s knowledge, true and correct. Hence, liability for errors or omissions cannot and will not be assumed by the publisher or owner. © 2022 Davenport Publications. All rights reserved.
Moultrie Magazine
Heath Dorminey Owner/Publisher
Happy New Year! Here we are, 2022. The past year brought many changes to most of us. And no doubt 2022 will bring its own changes. But, my hope, above all, is for a healty and safe 2022. Last year brought a huge milestone for us at Moultrie Magazine, we turned 16 years old! We know we say this a lot but we are so grateful for the support of our advertisers and readers! We hope you enjoy this issue! Moultrie/Colquitt County is filled with amazing people, doing amazing things and we feature a couple in this new issue. Four Daughters Cattle is producing quality beef that is raised right here in Colquitt County! And you got to try it! Read all about this famiy and their road to provided local beef. Eric Foster-Whidden, is on a journy. One that started with a business that was ahead of the curve and one that has now led he and his family across the ocean and resulted in a newly published book. Enjoy and Thank You! Heath Dorminey Owner/Publisher
05
06
Moultrie Magazine
If you run into Sam and Emily Watson and ask them how things are going, you’ll have to be a bit more specific. Sam Watson was first elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in late 2012, and he continues to serve in Atlanta as state representative for District 172. Emily (Howard) Watson is the marketing director for the hospital in Moultrie. They have four beautiful daughters: Lily, 15; Lucy, 12; and two-year-old twin girls, Riley Moore and Maddie Ruth. That would be enough to fill most people’s days. Moultrie Magazine
07
Add to that, however, a working cattle
farm, a new foray into beef sales to the public, the distribution of seasonal produce
boxes, and a menagerie of other animals,
and you have a better idea of just how much the Watson family has going on.
Let’s rewind about two decades. Sam and
Emily met while both were attending the Agriculture School at the University of
Georgia. Sam is originally from Moultrie,
while Emily grew up on a dairy farm three hours away in Madison. The two dated
throughout college, but upon graduation,
Emily moved to Washington, DC to work in agriculture policy for Republican Congressman Jack Kingston for three years. When the couple decided to marry, Emily knew
that would require her to move to Moultrie, explaining, “Sam loves Moultrie, and we
were not going to get him out of Moultrie.” Now, Emily shares that love as well.
Sam explains that his family has always
had cattle through the three generations the
Watsons have owned the farm (purchased in
the 1950s). After living in another house for
the first few years of their marriage, Sam
and Emily moved into the original farm-
house that once belonged to his grandpar-
08
Lucy Watson and Mike Harrison, a happy customer purchasing steaks.
ents. The couple renovated the home to suit their family’s needs, and they reside there
today with their girls. Sam’s parents built a newer home across the road, also on family farmland.
As for how many head of cattle they cur-
rently have on the farm, Sam shares, “About 80 momma cows at a time.” That’s not
counting the calves born each year (check out their Facebook page at
https://business.facebook.com/4DaughtersCattle/ for some photos). Since these are
beef-producing cows, the Watsons raise the
cattle until they reach a certain weight. The family has been enjoying the fruits of their
Moultrie Magazine
Lucy and Lily Watson.
labor for years, serving the homegrown beef as part of their own meals.
Starting this past September, they began
selling to the public. Sam offers by way of
explanation, “It was time to add value back
to the farm, as things are getting more ex-
pensive.” The Watsons take the cattle that
two methods of sale. They have a trailer,
complete with coolers, that allows the family
to go anywhere to sell their beef. Their farm is way outside of town, so they want to make it easier and more convenient for customers by bringing their products into town.
Emily laughs as she recounts their first
are ready to a local processor, who takes care
public sale. They had announced on their
and packaging. The Watsons “take it from
market, and they were looking for a location
of the processing, inspections, certification,
there and market it however we can.”
This is a new venture and necessarily
small-scale, so Sam, Emily, and the girls have
Moultrie Magazine
Facebook page that their beef was ready for in which to set up their trailer for the upcoming Saturday. Jay Lacey, one of the
owners of Joe Kem’s Market (a butcher shop
09
Photo by: Jill Stringfellow
Lucy, Sam, Madison Ruth, Riley Moore, Emily and Lily Watson
in Moultrie), reached out to Sam to suggest
they plan to continue to sell from Joe Kem’s
lot. Surprised but thrilled, the Watsons did
But if you can’t make it on Saturday, Joe
the Watsons set up the truck in their parking just that! Says Emily, “It has been a really positive relationship. Joe Kem’s saw more traffic that day, and we had a long line of
parking lot on specified Saturday mornings. Kem’s also keeps Four Daughters products on the shelf.
Daughter Lucy is largely the “face” of the
people waiting to purchase our beef. We
beef side of the business, and you can see
left to put on the shelf ! That’s the beauty of
farm’s Facebook page. Meanwhile, eldest
sold out that first day – there was no beef
a small town: these relationships and know-
ing your neighbors.”
While Sam and Emily work on other dis-
tribution streams for their beef products,
10
her in her frequent appearances on the
daughter Lily spearheads the produce side of the house. During the pandemic, Lily began going to the packing shed with Sam, and
they started preparing mixed-veggie boxes
Moultrie Magazine
for sale. They served local clients either via
scary it would be if we couldn’t get food.
to the farm to pick up their produce. These
enthusiastic as she shares, “We really enjoy
a collaboration among three local families
beef market. “It’s good for the girls, allow-
deliveries or directly to those who came out
boxes go out under the Chill C Farms name, and of which Sam is managing partner.
The veggie-box business has been down-
sized a bit now that Lily’s back in school fulltime. When asked, she says she wants to be
Returning to a more upbeat topic, Emily is
the in-person sales” of the Saturday mobile ing them to develop math and customer-service skills, taking credit cards with their cell
phones, handling the sales themselves.” The Watsons take a measured approach to the fi-
“It’s good for the girls, allowing them to develop math
and customer-service skills, taking credit cards with their cell phones, handling the sales themselves.”
a produce farmer or perhaps an agriculture teacher, or maybe both!
Several years back, Emily and Sam had
noticed that you couldn’t find Georgia-
grown produce on local supermarket shelves
during the summer; much of the produce
was being dumped on the local market by
foreign suppliers. This was one of the reasons the couple decided to expand the
farm’s offerings. Supply-chain delays and empty store shelves during the pandemic
serve as an additional reminder of how truly
Moultrie Magazine
705 South Main Street Moultrie, Georgia 31768-5432
Phone: 229-985-4137 Fax: 229-890-5968
Scotty Jarvis, Pharm.D. SAFETY & SERVICE SINCE 1923
11
12
Moultrie Magazine
Photo by: Jennifer Hill
A package of ground beef from Four Daughters Cattle Company.
nancial side of this experience for Lily and
FFA.
the two older girls are called to distinguish
“how we would have done it” without The
pay back the farm for the animal and the
well as on the farm. Since The Bigs are back
Lucy; it’s not all earnings for “The Bigs” (as them from “The Littles”). “The girls have to
processing out of the money they make.
Some goes into their savings accounts, and
some is their pay -- they can do what they want with it.” The Bigs are also very in-
volved in church and willingly tithe out of
what they earn. The older girls also show
livestock – goats and hogs – through 4H and
Moultrie Magazine
Emily freely admits that she doesn’t know
Bigs’ help caring for the younger ones, as
in school, they perform their chores when
they get home from school and on the weekends. Sam plays a big part on the farm
when he’s not serving in Atlanta, and Sam’s
father is an enormous help with the morning chores. Emily is quick to point out that both sets of parents have been incredibly helpful.
13
14
Photo by: Carlos Lopez
Moultrie Magazine
Customer Jessica Tyson and Lucy Watson.
But on the farm, everyone has to help: tag-
one of the girls take this over, if we can grow
ture to pasture, and all of the other tasks that
have already received inquiries from cus-
ging new calves, moving the cows from pasmust be performed.
it and make it sustainable.” The Watsons
tomers interested in purchasing a half cow
“We hope we’re providing a good product to the com-
munity. At the same time, we’re providing our children with the experience of growing up on a farm and the many life lessons that come with it” When asked about long-term goals for
their beef business, Emily laughingly says,
“Who knows what the future holds? I would love to see this take off. I would love to see
Moultrie Magazine
or a whole cow. That may be something else the family gets into, bearing in mind that
there is a limited number of processors in the state.
15
Photo by: Nadin Sh
16
Moultrie Magazine
As for Sam’s “other” career in Atlanta, he
admits that he had not planned to get into politics, but now that he is, he’ll “continue serving as long as the people want it. We
have fewer and fewer people [in the Legislature] who are involved in agriculture, and I want to make sure those who are involved
have a seat at the table.” Since he is a parttime legislator, he is fortunate to be able to
best way to stay in touch and find out where we’re going to be.” She emphasizes, “We
just want to say Thank You! We had no idea that first Saturday what to expect… and there was a long line of people standing
there in the heat. I don’t know what it was
that got them there, but we are so incredibly grateful for their support.”
Emily sums up two goals for Four Daugh-
split his time between home and Atlanta.
ters: “We hope we’re providing a good prod-
(January-March) takes place during a slower
we’re providing our children with the experi-
Conveniently, the winter legislative session time on the farm.
Interested in tasting some Four Daughters
Cattle products? Emily recommends that
you check out their Facebook page: “It’s the
Moultrie Magazine
uct to the community. At the same time,
ence of growing up on a farm and the many life lessons that come with it. Our intention is to instill values they can take with them into whatever they decide to do.” t
17
18
Moultrie Magazine
Story by: Eileen Moynahan
Former youth pastor, teacher, and coffee-shop owner Eric Foster-Whiddon has no qualms about re-inventing himself… as long as the re-invention is part of following Jesus. As motivation goes, that’s a pretty good reason. Moultrie Magazine
19
Locals may know Foster-Whiddon from his time on faculty at Colquitt Christian Academy from 2017 through 2020, where he taught Latin, Greek, and New Testament. Others may have seen his face as owner and general manager of Beans and Strings in downtown Moultrie. This combination coffee house/music school concept occupied him for seven years, at which time he sold it to start this latest journey into academia. Nowadays, you’ll have to cross an ocean to visit with Foster-Whiddon, who has been studying at the University of Cambridge in England and now at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland – the latest adventure for him, his wife, and three of his four children. Amidst all that, he has a new book out with a companion podcast by the same name -- “Misplaced: Here, There, and the Journey Between.” Let’s start with the coffee shop/music school. Foster-Whiddon explains, “I had been teaching music lessons to students from my home when I came up with the idea of a combined business model. Instead of having parents wait in their cars while their children had music lessons with me, I thought, Why not create a coffee shop/ music school where parents and locals could hang out? We started the business from scratch at a time when there fwere only a few restaurants or retail establishments in downtown Moultrie.” The first couple of years were hard – more on that in a minute – but Foster-Whiddon and his team were ultimately able to make the business successful. “Many people have said that our business was helpful in revitalizing downtown Moul-
20
trie -- we were ahead of the curve. There weren’t as many vibrant retail shops in downtown then as there are now. When we opened our business, suddenly we had a parking issue on First Street (which had not been an issue in forever!). We ended up with a staff of 5-6 instructors and over 100 students. We had an extension campus in Cook County and developed a program in partnership with the public school system.” It wasn’t all sunshine and coffee beans, however. “It was difficult for the business at first – I am quick to admit that it was rookie mismanagement on my part: how to run a budget, how to handle cash-flow issues, how to price food products, how to hire and train staff. A key component to turning that around was, at the beginning of our second year, I went to a friend who’s a financial advisor in town and to his dad and said, ‘I need some help.’ My friend’s dad, Mr. James Fountain, needed someone to do paperwork in his office and asked if I would be interested. I agreed to come work in the office (my wife managed Beans and Strings during office hours), and I worked with Mr. Fountain for a year. I learned a lot and met people who were successful with their money. I learned from Mr. Fountain the things I needed to do to make my business successful -- it was an apprenticeship of sorts. He had a classic, conservative financial approach. And just as he had predicted, my business began to turn around in the third year, although it took until year five to turn a profit.” A question comes to mind: Why leave a successful business to go into academia?
Moultrie Magazine
Moultrie Magazine
21
Foster-Whiddon laughs as he admits, “None of the things I’m passionate about are highearning endeavors (music, ministry, education). The decision to go back to school for my Master’s was discernment – I believed it was something God meant for me to do. I’ve been trying to follow His voice since I became a Christian as a teenager.” He continues, “When I went into business, I had spent a decade in church ministry. Pastoral ministry always felt like it was important, but at the same time, it never felt like quite the right fit for me.” Those seven years in business really helped Foster-Whiddon mature. “It was a process that helped clarify what I felt to be my call. What’s
friend pastors and to help train them to do the job they do in churches. I serve the church by training those who lead the church.” In September 2020, Foster-Whiddon and his family left Moultrie for Cambridge England, where he would complete his second Master’s degree (his first one in the U.K.) in June 2021. He is now working on his PhD at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland; he anticipates completing the program in three years. When asked whether three advanced degrees are required for the work he wants to do, Foster-Whiddon explains, “To be able to teach people who are training for ministry, I needed at least a Master’s degree.
more, the urgency to do it intensified. I understood my role: I’m a teacher.” “We sold the business, and I re-enrolled in seminary.” (Foster-Whiddon had been in a Master’s program at the time they launched Beans and Strings but soon realized something had to give.) He spent the next three years travelling to Jacksonville, Florida two weekends a month for classes at GordonConwell Theological Seminary. His goal is “to teach confessing Christians who are training for ministry. I see my role as to be-
But a Master’s degree alone limits where I can teach. I am pursuing a PhD because it’s what I feel called to do. It gives me more options for where I can teach, at the undergraduate or postgraduate levels, in seminaries or universities. If I was going to change careers at this point in my life, I figured it’s best to go all the way and finish the whole course of study. Also, writing a PhD thesis is an opportunity to research a topic that I’m very interested in and make a contribution to the field of New Testament stud-
“Many people have said that our business was helpful in revitalizing downtown Moultrie -- we were ahead of the curve.”
22
Moultrie Magazine
Eric and Vanessa Foster-Whiddon
ies. I won’t get many opportunities in life to focus like this, to read and write and grow as a scholar and a Christian.” “People wonder how we afford to do all this. It wouldn’t have happened if we had not owned a business in Moultrie first.” While selling Beans and Strings allowed Foster-Whiddon to return to seminary, the lessons he learned as an entrepreneur have enabled his studies abroad. “We sold our house and possessions to move to the UK and have worked hard to live frugally and avoid debt. But even so, this is too big for us to do alone. Being a business owner taught me the importance of community and we wouldn’t be able to do this without the support of friends, family, and our home church (Heritage Church).” As he writes his PhD
Moultrie Magazine
thesis, Foster-Whiddon continues to teach online Latin classes for Colquitt Christian Academy. He has recently joined the faculty of his undergrad alma mater Emmanuel College (Franklin Springs, GA) as an online adjunct instructor and will begin teaching New Testament classes in the spring. His wife, Vanessa, manages Combini Café in downtown St. Andrews. Note that Foster-Whiddon is a family man, so the decision to move overseas was never made in a vacuum. Foster-Whiddon very much consulted his wife and kids before making this leap. “I could have stayed and taught at the Christian school for the rest of my life and have been happy -- we were all happy. I never wanted this whole adventure to be ‘My dad dragged us across the world
23
24
Moultrie Magazine
for his dream.’ My wife and I repeatedly told the kids, if anyone wants to stop this process, tell us. We wanted to do this as a family, and the kids were very excited from the beginning. When the pandemic hit, all of the gears for this were in motion and everyone was still happy to move forward. We believed that God called us to do this and the pandemic was no surprise to Him, so he must have called us to do it in this crazy COVID season. As hard as it has been, we believe it was meant to be part of our journey.” Ironically, the pandemic may have helped the three kids more easily move between differing school systems. Because of COVID, school had been interrupted to such a degree that standardized tests were suspended. “The kids were playing catch-up because they were changing systems” – first from the American to the English system, and then from the English to the Scottish system. Although the kids are doing well, FosterWhiddon admits that there was a period in between his two academic programs that he did think, “This has been difficult. I fully expected that my kids and wife would say they wanted to go back to Moultrie. But the family as a whole said, ‘We see God at work in our lives – it’s not time to come home yet.’ We did come home for nine weeks this past summer, and I needed those nine weeks to be ready to come back to the UK. So far, our five months in St. Andrews have been great and we’re very happy here.” “The kids are definitely more globallyminded now. Their greatest experience is the international friends they’ve made.” Foster-
Moultrie Magazine
Karis, Eric, Zoe and Holton Foster-Whiddon
Whiddon credits their positive adjustment to their roots. “My kids have a sense of a hometown, that being Moultrie. My wife and I are both from Colquitt County, and prior to opening Beans and Strings, we lived in Norman Park, a small farming community outside Moultrie. Because we had a business downtown, we felt we should live in town and moved the family into Moultrie in 2010. We would not be opposed to living there again, since we love that area. But we don’t know where the Lord will lead after St. Andrews. We’re very open-handed with future plans.” Foster-Whiddon’s oldest daughter got married just before the pandemic began and resides in Moultrie with her husband. The couple are hoping to come over to St. An-
25
Karis, Zoe, Vanessa, Holtonand Eric Foster-Whiddon
drews this spring, assuming travel restrictions allow it. As for the three children who made the move with Foster-Whiddon and his wife, two will graduate from high school in Scotland. Foster-Whiddon explains that there are similarities between their former and current homes. St. Andrews and Moultrie are similar in population size, and both serve as the county seat for their respective agricultural counties. Even the kids’ high school in St. Andrews is a consolidated school, made up of kids who reside in town as well as kids who live in the county and are bussed in. Foster-Whiddon finds the Scottish people to be very friendly, with the townspeople and university community getting along well amidst the “town-and-gown” experience. Foster-Whiddon appreciates the traditions
Moultrie Magazine
27
28
Moultrie Magazine
associated with his new home. “Every Sunday after chapel, the St. Andrews undergrads wear their red gowns as they walk to and from the pier by the sea -- the tradition of the Pier Walk goes way back.” Talk then moves to Foster-Whiddon’s latest book “Misplaced,” which was published this past summer but had been a few years in the making. “I wrote the book while running Beans and Strings. After the hiking trip (the inspiration for the book and one that is covered more completely in his podcast), I started writing down the story and distilling what I’d learned. What emerged was a short, allegorical type of book. I wrote 7-8 chapters, then started my first Master’s program, at which point I became consumed with writing academic stuff.”
Moultrie Magazine
“During a break between my two Master’s degrees, I went ahead and finished the book and submitted it to some publishers. I pitched the book and got picked up by a publisher I was very happy to work with. Wipf and Stock Publishers released “Misplaced” on one of their non-academic imprints, but the company has become a major player in the theology market and I plan to submit my thesis for publication with them when I finish it.” As for that PhD thesis, it is a “literary comparison of the Gospel of John with Greek novels written in the second, third, and fourth centuries that have philosophical emphases.” Foster-Whiddon’s thesis title is “John and the Divine Romance: The Fourth Gospel as Philosophical Novella.” He says that when
29
Eric & Zoe Foster-Whiddon hiking Faskally Forest along the River Tummel in Pitlochry Scotland
writing his book “Misplaced” before beginning his PhD research, he accidentally composed a story that has significant parallels with the Gospel of John: both have a historical foundation, both have components arranged to communicate certain points, both contain philosophical topics to extract from the story. Some might say that it’s not an accident at all but rather a continuing thread in Foster-Whiddon’s life. As he himself explains, “I’ve learned to trust God’s ability to lead me more than my own ability to follow Him. I believe God exists and I believe He cares about us. I believe He has an opinion as to what I do with my life. And I believe that if I ask Him, He will tell me. It’s what I see modeled in scripture, in both the Old and New Testaments, and it’s the way I seek to live my life.”
30
Foster-Whiddon goes on to say, “As my music students used to ask me, ‘What if I do it wrong?’ Well, you’re gonna do it wrong, you’re gonna make a mistake. But the only way it becomes failure is if you stop. It’s important that you keep playing through the mistakes. You have to trust that He leads well. I like to say, I’m a bad sheep, but He’s a great shepherd!” One final maxim from Foster-Whiddon? “Following Jesus is not easy, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. And it’s never too late to start.” To learn more about Eric Foster-Whiddon and to order his latest book, please visit efosterw.com. Book orders are fulfilled from Moultrie or St. Andrews and are shipped all over the world! t
Moultrie Magazine