Rae lives and farms on Barr Farms with her family. She loves cooking healthy food, trying new things, deep conversations with friends, reading, learning, and playing, especially with her three children.
This introduction is long overdue... if you remember, we hired Christy back in May! She's our new Sales and Inventory Manager. Christy hit the ground running, and has been helping at the farmers markets, redesigning our inventory system for meat, offering great suggestions across the board, researching and ordering t-shirts (available now!) and overall offering her expertise to the farm.
Christy Ray brings a wealth of experience to the farm. She's a veteran, she worked at and retired from the Louisville Water Company, where she helped with marketing and communications, oversaw a program that helped kids get needed dental work, set up a water company booth at markets, and much more. She's worked in the military, the water company, the VA health system, and has inventory and customer service experience. And she wanted to bring all that experience to us at the farm, to help us out. I thought the best way to introduce you to Christy was to let her introduce herself. And she told her CSA story. It's inspiring. Read on below!
(She's also really devoted to her dog, Titus).
Hi there! My name is Christy Ray, and I am the Sales and Inventory Manager for Barr Farms. We may have met at the market, during a delivery run, or on a farm tour. I’d like to share a little more about me and how I became part of the Barr Farms family.
About seven years ago, my health took a nose-dive. Hives, hair loss, weight gain, blood sugar and cholesterol steadily rising, brain fog, fatigue, arthritis… and every cold, flu, and virus repeatedly knocked me down. I was stressed, depressed and downright miserable. Doctors ran lab work but did not see anything out of the ordinary. They told me that I would eventually have to have both of my knees replaced – the arthritic pain was so bad I used the handrail to pull myself up the stairs. They prescribed creams, antibiotics, hormones, pain relievers, anti-depressants, special shampoos, injections, and more… yet nothing worked. Never mind the money I spent on over-the-counter solutions, anything that would boost my energy and relieve my pain. I could not sleep. I felt like I was hungry all the time, constantly snacking to get enough energy to boost me through another task. Add perimenopause and the pandemic - I felt like I was losing my mind!
My body was inflamed, and I did not know how to put the fire out. It's a good thing that I’m stubborn! I refused to accept that this constant struggle was how I would live the rest of my life. I began researching to find a way back to my usual, happy, healthy self… naturally. Turns out, I thought I was eating healthy… but I wasn’t! Not even close! I started making a conscious effort to buy organic food from the local grocery store, but the fresh options were limited and because the food was not locally sourced, it often went bad before I could use it. Mold on cucumbers the day after I bought them! I learned to stop trusting the packaging on what I thought were healthy processed foods (yes, I have come a long way). Buzz words like natural, fat-free, reduced sodium, sugar-free, low fat, no fat, XXg protein did not mean the products were good for me or even safe. I began making changes, slowly at first, and each change brought me back, closer to my normal self. And that motivated me to continue my pursuit.
One day, I was in the local hardware store and saw a Barr Farms poster. Customizable, organic CSAs. They had me at “customizable.” I had tried a CSA before, but the boxes did not have much variety – too much of one thing and not enough of the stuff I liked - a lot of food went to waste. I signed up in the Summer of 2024 on a pay-as-you-go status and drove to the farm every Saturday to get my food – it’s super close to my home. I was surprised at all the offerings and continued to buy after the season ended. I got a good knife and began spending more time in the kitchen – turns out I’m a pretty good cook! I don’t look at nutrition labels, I don’t count calories, and I don’t obsess over how much food I eat. Instead, I use the Yuka app for packaged goods and Barr Farms for most everything else. This year I became a CSA member. My health has dramatically improved, I’m no longer on any prescriptions, and I feel great! My doctors asked me what I’m doing, and I tell them I changed what I eat – that is it!
I read all the Barr Farms newsletters – Rae provides useful tips on how to prepare, store, and cook the food they grow, and openly shares the joys and struggles that come with growing organically. Then a newsletter came announcing a job opportunity with the farm. I have tons of experience, but I had never worked on a farm, never ate sweet potato greens or kohlrabi, and never driven a box truck. Yet, I wanted to know more about how my food is grown and why it is so much better than what I had before. I read the announcement again and went for it! I love this job, I feel great about what we do, and I enjoy connecting with our customers. My values and this work are truly aligned.
I am learning a lot from Adam and Rae – they are extremely kind and highly intelligent folks! Their passion for growing healthy food in a healthy way is refreshing and it gives me hope for the future. I’m learning from the people that help us get this high-quality food to folks like you, who understand the importance of what it means to eat healthy and sustainably. And I’m learning from you, too! Our customers have shared recipes, resources, and personal struggles that continue to help me on my journey. I am grateful to all of you and grateful to be part of this wonderful community!
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We appreciate you. We're so lucky to have Christy as part of the farm fam. Say hi to her at market next time you see her.
Do you have a CSA story? We'd love to hear it.