For as long as she can remember, Jamie Derr has loved flowers. The fragrant smell and working in the dirt of her grandmother’s greenhouse easily pull at her heartstrings. Obsessed with the movie, The Secret Garden, Jamie longed to have her very own.
That would come years later when her Daddy built her a roadside stand from an old wagon where she sold sunflowers and jars of flowers. It served as a mood booster for Jamie, combatting sadness and anxiety. But her flower hobby stayed just that—a hobby. As she got older, her focus was directed more toward cows and family.
Dairy Upbringing
Jamie was raised on her family’s Maryland dairy farm. They sold the herd when she was 14 and switched to raising heifers. Jamie still was very much involved, and after high school, she would go onto Delaware Valley College and graduate with a degree in agriculture education.
It was at college that Jamie met her future husband, Chris. He too came from a dairy upbringing, but his family sold out when he was very young, but they too, had some heifers. The couple married in 2008 and took over his grandparent’s farm. The couple raised crops and some heifers, but both worked full-time off the farm. Chris was a herdsman for a neighboring farm and Jamie worked on her parent’s farm.
In 2010, with the birth of their first son, the Derrs decided they wanted to start dairying.
“It just hit me that I was done working for other people,” Chris says.
Many doubters told them that they were crazy, saying “People don’t just get into dairy farming.”
Unsure if it was feasible, the first step was to see if they could secure a loan. After a few years of trying, they eventually secured a loan through FSA and began milking 70 cows.
In 2013, the Derrs were able to purchase an entire dairy and a herd of cows in one lump sum from another dairyman who was wanting to get out of the industry.
“It’s pretty amazing,” Chris says. “We have become good friends with that family and they relief milk for us. It is really nice how this all has come together.”
The couple farm a total of 230 acres and milk 70 cows in Middletown, Maryland. The Derrs knew they wanted to keep the farm small and that they didn’t want to have to rely on help from outside employees.
“We both have worked for larger farms and agreed that we would do better for our plans to not have other employees,” Jamie says.
Bumpy Road
Purchasing the dairy in 2013 allowed the Derr family to capture two good milk years with strong milk prices. Then the bumpy road began. When milk prices first dropped, the Derrs were able to continue, but the longer it stayed low, they were uncertain how long they would be able to sustain their small family farm.
“We started brainstorming where I could get a job off the farm,” Jamie shares.
A 9-5 job would not work, as Jamie was still very much needed on the farm. Neither would part-time jobs, as childcare costs would swallow up most of the money earned. Then Chris asked her if she could make money off her flower hobby.
Flower Power
Just one thought of growing flowers instantly drew Jamie back to her childhood working alongside her grandmother planting seeds and watering flowers.
The initial idea of selling flowers via retail or wholesale didn’t bloom. Steadfast with the drive to make this idea work, Jamie reached out to her local farmer’s market to see if they needed any flowers. They did. And later, so did other markets. Currently, Jamie sells in four farmer’s markets.
From there, customers asked if they could come out and see the flowers being grown.
And the initial idea of selling flowers has grown considerably. Managing a dairy, raising children and a side flower business requires long days, but Jamie’s heart is happy.
“If I’m going out to pull weeds until dark, it doesn’t feel like work,” she says. “I’m fine with that because I’m still enjoying it.”
Jamie confesses that she does not have a favorite flower but says she can relate most to Zinnias.
“I feel like they’re the unsung hero in the flower world,” she says. “I love that they will bloom forever. And there’s just every color.”
Pandemic Impact
A year before COVID-19 hit, Jamie started pick-your-own flowers at their dairy farm. Once the pandemic began, people desperately wanted to get outside and do something. The idea they could go to a farm and socially distance, pick flowers and see a working dairy was enticing.
“People love flowers,” she says. “However, people didn’t want flowers. They wanted to give flowers to someone else. Some would tell me they are dropping flowers off on grandma’s porch because they couldn’t visit in person. They wanted to add joy anyway they could.”
Customers often packed picnic baskets and picked their flowers and stayed awhile at the farm. Many visitors are local, but some come from the D.C. area or even West Virginia.
“They stop by and then are surprised they’re actually on a fully operating dairy farm,” she shares.
The Derrs say that their flower business opens up the opportunity to share how they care for the dairy cows.
“Many have never seen a cow in real life before,” Jamie says.
Mental Health Boost
Jamie’s dream of having a secret garden has come to fruition. But, now that she is grown and has a garden, she wants a garden to share. With her pick-your-own events, visitors get more than an opportunity to pick flowers and visit a dairy. Jamie believes that being around flowers reminds us of the good in the world. Her favorite quote, ‘where you tend a rose, a thistle cannot grow,’ reminds her that by clinging to the good in life and tending to those thoughts, we can keep those weeds at bay.
“I always could relate to that no matter what we’re doing,” Jamie says. “If you’re trying to bring forth positive, you know you’re helping keep the negative away.”
The flower business has not only been able to keep Jamie home with her two boys: Levi, 11; and Zach, 8, and working with her husband on the family dairy farm, but it has also helped manage her stress.
“Not just because it brings money, but because we can all work together,” she says.
The mood booster impacts her husband and children, too. They never realized that it would draw people to the farm the way it has.
“We were always worried to let people come onto our farm,” she says. “This time has been so positive and everyone’s so grateful and asks good questions. In a way, it has restored our perception of the consumer.”
The Derrs say that raising their children on the farm is literally their dream come true. The pair say that while they don’t have employees, they do have others that offer a lending hand.
“The boys’ great grandfather still lives on the farm and helps out when he can,” Jamie says.
Chris’s mother, Kaye Derr is a tremendous help, too. Both Chris and Jamie’s extended family often come to the farm on weekends to pitch in and help out.
“I kept praying and trusting that God would make this all work out,” Jamie adds.
