H&S Family Farms | Keithville, Louisiana
Post surgery, the doctor came out and said, “I’m sorry. She has stage 4 leiomyosarcoma cancer.”
Me: “How do we heal this?”
The doctor: “I’m sorry. There is no stage 5.”
I still remember the weight of those first two words. A few of my mom’s sisters were there with me. Everyone just looked devastated. It was something we knew could be the case, but hearing it out loud made it real in a way nothing else could. The tumor was cancerous. And then came the words that stopped time:
“I’m sorry. I seem to be saying that a lot right now. We expect she has about three and a half months to live.”
What now?
The real work began.
My mother lived for over three and a half years past that moment. The doctors were astounded at every single appointment. We changed the food. We changed the lifestyle. We did a lot. I mean, a lot. But in the end, it just wasn’t enough. Her body was tired. And we had to come to peace with the things we couldn’t heal in time: the stress, the absence of community, the weight she carried that no diet could lift.
She gave us more time. But we couldn’t give her enough.
That loss didn’t stop the work. It started it.
Because it didn’t end with her. There were more people who needed help. Fast forward to my children’s father. Fast forward to myself. Those are stories for another time, but those moments are the why. Every single one of them.
A healthier lifestyle gave us more time. Not what-ifs. We were past that. We knew it was time for all of us to change.
Here is what I also know: when you are the caretaker, the nurturer, the one who holds everything together, it is easy to pour into everyone else. It is hard to pour into yourself. That is the journey I am living right now, in real time. Building this farm is part of it. No what-ifs. Not anymore.
So we built something.
H&S Family Farms is a working farm in Keithville, Louisiana rooted in fresh food, sustainable living, education, and community. We grow seasonal produce and raise laying hens with long-term stewardship in mind. We offer CSA memberships, including You Pick options, so that local families can have a direct relationship with the food they eat. We also produce red worm castings, compost, and red wigglers for those who want to build healthier soil at home.
But we are also building something beyond the harvest.
One of the things we believe most deeply is that farming knowledge should be shared. Composting, soil health, sustainable growing, understanding where your food comes from — these are not complicated ideas reserved for experts. They are practical skills that belong to families, youth, and communities. That is why education is woven into everything we do: workshops, farm visits, and content you can actually use. We want every person who connects with H&S to leave with something they can apply, teach, and pass on.
Because we know what is possible when people have access to fresh food, real knowledge, and a community that holds them accountable to their own health. And we know what happens when they don’t.
H&S Family Farms exists because of what we learned too late, and what we refuse to forget.
We are building a place rooted in fresh food, sustainable living, education, and community. Not because it is a nice idea. Because we know firsthand what happens when people don’t have access to those things. And we know what is possible when they do.
This is the farm. This is the work. And we are just getting started.
Rooted in Purpose. Growing for Generations. hello@handsfarmsllc.com | (318) 215-5176