Stormbrew Farm Cultivating a Lost Lifestyle

By Allison Chudina

Photographs By Devon McNeil Photography

At Stormbrew Farm, Jenny Martin and Daisy Sturgill hope to plant seeds of empowerment and self-sufficiency as well as cultivate a love of the earth in all who visit.

Stormbrew Farm

The farm, located in Abingdon, Va., specializes in the sustainable: sustainably grown cut flowers, vegetables, and herbs.

Jenny and Daisy, who are mother and daughter, are “passionate and dedicated to working alongside Mother Nature” to grow their products. In order to achieve this, they utilize companion planting, attracting beneficial insects, and mulching to control weeds. They also don’t use herbicides, insecticides, or fungicides.

When asked how Stormbrew Farm initially came about, Daisy said she started the business in 2020. But Jenny added that the idea for Stormbrew Farm actually began a lot earlier in 2015 when she and her husband, Glenn, decided to learn how to make their own beer.

“It seemed like every time we would brew, there would be a storm happening outside,” Jenny explained. “We joked that we were ‘brewing up a storm,’ so we called our beer Stormbrew.”

Five years later, Daisy and Jenny moved to a farm in Atkins, Va., and received a sign as a housewarming gift. The sign said "Stormbrew Farm” — and the rest is history.

After graduating from Virginia Tech in December of 2018, Daisy spent the following farm season living “off-grid” in a camper in Maine and working on a flower farm. After the season was over, she decided to move back to Virginia, where her mother and stepfather had just bought a “hobby farm.” Daisy says Jenny and Glenn welcomed her with open arms onto the farm knowing she was ready to start her own farm business.

In July 2021, they bought land in Abingdon, Va., and spent the entire summer moving their farm. The next year was Daisy’s first farming season there, and this year will be her fourth year farming overall.

Farming and gardening have always been a part of Daisy’s life.

“I grew up in a garden,” Daisy said. “My mother raised a huge garden and did the ‘homestead thing’ for as long as I can remember. It is just our lifestyle. I chose to major in Horticulture during college because I couldn't think of anything else I would want to do. After working on farms during college and after, I learned that it was possible to turn the lifestyle into a business.”

Stormbrew Farm offers many different services and events, including dinners hosted alongside Appalachian Sustainable Development (ASD), which Daisy says have been very popular and successful. Her favorite event of 2023 so far, though, has been Healthy Chocolate Making.

Jenny also added that visitors love their farm tours. “There is so much to see, taste, and learn,” she said. “Our classes — meal prep, chocolate making, seeding and greenhouse work — are gaining popularity. Events in collaboration with ASD have been really fun to do! Flower subscription is catching on, too.”

Stormbrew Farm also offers photoshoot opportunities with Devon McNeil Photography, which Daisy says is their most frequented event. Daisy and Jenny have thoroughly enjoyed developing the list of classes and events planned for 2023 and hope to continue to grow a clientele interested in the homestead lifestyle.

When asked what it’s like to have a mother/daughter business, Daisy said, “We are lucky to be friends as well as mother and daughter. We definitely each have our own strengths that we bring to the table. I don't think the business would work without one of us!”

In fact, Daisy’s favorite aspect of the farm is that it is shared with her mother. “We have the most fun working together and coming up with ideas for the business,” she said. “I feel so fortunate to be in a position where my ideas matter, and I can take the farm in any direction. I like working for myself.”

Jenny says her favorite part of the business is being able to walk guests through the fields and let them taste fresh vegetables and see the flowers growing in their rows. “There is so much diversity of insects and birds, and we point these out,” she said. “Sometimes, guests get an overwhelmed look when taking in the sights, smells, tastes, and sounds of the farm. There is so much to learn! I like teaching people and empowering them to improve their self-sufficiency and health by doing the simple things we do.”

When people visit Stormbrew Farm, Daisy loves seeing it through their eyes because it is new every time. She enjoys welcoming people to the farm through their events, classes, and farm tours to give them a taste of a lost lifestyle that is very near and dear to her heart.

“When people leave,” Daisy said, “I hope they feel a sense of rejuvenation and empowerment from their experiences here.”

Jenny describes Stormbrew Farm as “the happiest place on Earth,” and encourages visitors to come and see why.

Daisy and Jenny’s main business goal right now is to replace one or both of their incomes with income from the farm. “We both still work off-farm jobs, making it hard to always accomplish our farm goals,” Daisy said.

Jenny says they would like to keep adding events to bring people to the farm to try their Stormbrew beer, as well as teach people how to cook with fresh ingredients. Another long-term goal for the farm is to partner with other local growers to create a network of farmers in order to service larger accounts.

“There is so much opportunity for all of us farmers,” Daisy said. “I think we can be more successful if we all work together.”

To learn more about Stormbrew Farm, you can visit their website, stormbrewfarm.com, or follow them on social media.