Samuel and McKenzie Moffett with their children at the farm (2023).

Terminal cancer, death, autoimmune disease, chronic health struggles, food insecurity, food safety, careful stewardship of creation, preservation for the future. These are just a few of the things that have impacted us on our personal journey toward desiring to grow, raise, harvest and make as much of the food our family consumes, on our own land, in our own home, with our own hands. In August of 2012 McKenzie’s father, just 48 at the time, was diagnosed with stage 4 Glioblastoma - brain cancer - rare, aggressive, incurable. Though surgery to remove the lemon-sized tumor, intensive radiation therapy and aggressive chemotherapy would buy him a few years, ultimately he would pass just shy of two years following diagnosis. For years there would be more questions than answers around his condition, but his untimely diagnosis and early death would result in a life dedicated to continually learning about the food we eat, the products we put on our bodies,  and the impact those things can have on both our near-term and our long-term health.

Change came slowly at first, implementing what we learned about dietary and environmental factors into our lives, and making simple swaps for better, cleaner alternatives. As children entered the equation, we quickly learned that even the smallest among us are inheriting the chronic disease burden we’ve seen explode in the last few generations, and more changes cascaded into our lives. We soon began making almost all of our food from scratch, and when food shortages and supply chain issues hit in 2020, we knew we had to begin sourcing even our “better” ingredients, locally. Shortly thereafter, we met our farmers, Ben and Beth Simmons at Nature’s Gourmet Farm, to whom we are so grateful for their dedication to feeding Mississippi families the way nature intended.

As we learned about their process, our curiosity was piqued in particular by the “regenerative” aspect of farming. Though agriculture is a major part of our MS economy, very little of what is grown/produced in our state (or really anywhere) is done so regeneratively — with an eye toward farming the land today in a way that is both sustainable and will leave our farms better for the generations we’re raising up to follow in our footsteps.

Regenerative farming’s focus on responsible stewardship of land and animals also seemed to align with our larger values as christians. We feel strongly that, as Psalm 24 states, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof,” and within that truth we have been called to excellence in stewardship of creation’s resources.

With these convictions growing stronger, we began looking for land in 2021, acquired the farm in the spring of 2022, built our home in 2023 and are currently working toward infrastructure for the larger aspects of our growing operation. We are passionate about offering clean, sustainably and responsibly sourced products to families who, like us, are seeking to make better choices for their loved ones. We know that it isn’t just the food we consume, but also the products we put on our skin that are impacting generational health. Because we believe the human body, made in God’s image, should be cared for with wisdom from head to toe, we are seeking to play a small part in that care by producing good products that nourish your body and align with our desire to steward every aspect of creation well.

We believe we’ve aptly reflected our goals and values in our name — Covenant Heritage. Simply stated, as a husband and wife, our collective goal of living our allotted earthly days for the glory of God alone includes stewarding to our very best ability, our heritage - this gracious portion God has so mercifully allotted us, both land and family - to the best of our ability, for as many days as the Lord has given us. We hope that in this work will be able to nourish bodies, hearts and minds, ultimately leaving an imperishable inheritance in accord with the words of Psalm 16, the inspiration for our naming, as we await the coming New Creation and the fullness of joy in Christ forevermore.