Market Share
Christa Meeder was working as a marketer for a trade show company when she was laid off in 2020 . Of course no one was holding events then , which made it impossible for her to work .
“ I was super-bored just sitting around the house ,” she recalls , “ so my boyfriend , Dan , and I decided to turn my homestead in Imperial into a farmstead .”
Christa began growing more vegetables , heirloom tomatoes , peppers , green beans , onion , garlic and cucumbers at her farm . She was successful with growing her own produce and discovered she had enough to share with neighbors . “ I would just put some baskets of vegetables out at the bottom of the hill , and people would throw a dollar or two in the bucket . We called it my ice cream money .”
She then became interested in farm animals . It all started with three ducklings . Today , she has several hundred animals on her 12-acre farm , including goats , quail , chickens , and of course , ducks . She sells the fresh eggs , and also started a hatching program with schools , daycares and families called “ Hatch a Quack ” and “ Hatch a Peep .” Children get about a dozen eggs , and Christa supplies an incubator . They can watch the eggs come to life as small chicks or ducklings . The children can keep the tiny hatchlings for a week , caring for them and watching them transform . After a week , they can return the chicks or ducklings to the farm , or they may keep them if they wish .
Hampton native Christa Meeder has found a way to share her farm products with the community , while helping other local farmers , artisans and crafters to share their products as well . BY PAMELA PALONGUE
10 724.942.0940 TO ADVERTISE ❘ icmags . com