Today we’d like to introduce you to Angela Viebrock.
Alright, thank you for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, how did you get started?
I am a farm girl at heart! I grew up in North Central Iowa in the center of the rows of corn and soybeans. Our family lives on a farm purchased by our family in 1892. The history and heritage of our farm mean a lot to me, and I love sharing the history with my 2 boys – letting them play in the hayloft where I played as a child – the same hayloft my grandfather played in. This strong tie to the land is one of the reasons my husband and I wish to raise our boys on a farm, giving them the experience of growing their food and caring for animals. I met my husband in college at Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. I majored in vocal music education and worked at a western store to help pay for college. My husband, Johnny, was completing his master’s degree at Missouri State. We dated for 2 years before we wed in 2021. Our wedding was in Iowa at the church my family has attended for 100 years. We settled in Smithville, Missouri, where my husband is the Vocational Ag Teacher and FFA Advisor, and I am the Middle School Choir Director and Speech & Drama Teacher. We have a small farm produce stand and a non-profit that helps us serve our community. Smithville has become our home, and serving our community is our passion.
In 2009, our 1-year-old son Larson became ill. We were in Atlanta, Georgia, with our High School Robotics team when Larson was diagnosed with Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS). This is when bacteria on your red blood cells cause the cells to explode, which intern causes your kidneys to shut down and eventually fail. In most HUS cases, the cause is E.coli, but in Larson’s case, it was a rare type caused by a bacteria. There is no cure. The physicians and nurses get you through the symptoms. Our medical team at Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital in Atlanta had seen HUS before and was able to diagnose Larson rather quickly. The plan was to prevent him from crashing, so he was placed on a ventilator and dialysis. He was on life support for several weeks and was in the PICU for 32 days. He was transferred to a rehabilitation unit for an additional 2 weeks to relearn to walk, talk, sit up, and swallow all over again. God, our friends, families, and community lifted and held us together during this time. Everything at home in Missouri was taken care of – our classrooms, a flock of sheep, a dog, and a house. The community held fundraisers to support us while we were in Atlanta. One of the fundraisers was a car show. We were finally able to return home in June with our baby. The Smithville Police escorted us through town to our house, and a BBQ dinner awaited us when we finally arrived home. Once home, we realized that we could never repay everyone for what they had done for us. So our mantra became “Pay it Forward.” Johnny and I and a group of friends who organized the car show for us decided to form a non-profit called Larson’s Cause. We hold an annual car show on Mother’s Day Weekend in Downtown Smithville. The monies raised go to children in the Smithville School District with medical needs. We have helped over 35 families with a wide array of medical needs, from brain tumors to heart issues to injuries from car accidents. Larson’s Cause has lost 6 children, and we honor their memories at Larson’s Cruise for the Cause each spring. The 15th Annual Larson’s Cruise for the Cause will be held on May 13, 2023, at Courtyard Park in Smithville, MO.
Our family continues to live, teach, and thrive in Smithville. We were able to purchase a small acreage in 2013. Johnny and I wanted to instill the farming lifestyle and ethics in our children, Larson & Lincoln. In the summer of 2014, we started selling products under the tree in our front yard. Little did we know how much our community was hungry for farm produce. A building was needed for our products in a short time, and our little red barn was built to store and sell our tomatoes, blackberries, cucumbers, corn, and other produce. The boys help in the garden and high tunnel greenhouse, as well as with our orchard and bee hives. They help with our sheep, horses, and chickens. Each Wednesday from June to September, our family sells our produce at the Smithville Farmers and Makers Market in Downtown Smithville. Any extra produce is donated to the food pantry at our church or the Housing Authority in Smithville. We can accomplish anything with handwork, family, friends, our community, and the Good Lord. Our family will thrive together by looking to the past, holding on to one another, and growing together. We want to leave a positive mark on our community and the world.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We have had many struggles. Johnny and I wanted a house full of children from the start. That was not in the cards for us. We struggled with infertility for 7 years. I was diagnosed it stage 4 endometriosis in 2005. After 2 surgeries and several months of shots, we got pregnant with Larson through the IVF process. He was our miracle baby. Then, Larson got sick in 2009. Those weeks in Atlanta were tough, but both Johnny and I felt at peace, as Larson was our only focus. Nothing else mattered. Once we returned home with a healthy baby, we still wanted more children. After 5 more years of IVF, miscarriages, and heartbreak, Lincoln was born. I never thought I would be almost 40 when I had my 2nd child, but that was my path, and I would not change it for anything. My boys are my life, and I would do it again for them. Aging parents is a struggle now. My dad had a double lung transplant in July of 2022 in Rochester, MN. The process involving a transplant is overwhelming and very stressful. He is doing well, and our family is blessed by this remarkable gift we have been given. My father-in-law suffered a stroke in April of 2022 as well. Johnny and I have tried to balance assisting our parents as much as we can and being parents, teachers, farmers, and community leaders. We struggle to find time to be a couple and aim to go on a date at least once a month. Sometimes the date is going to the grocery store or just a drive around the lake. We have to carve out time to grow and nourish our marriage.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My husband and I own and operate Farm Wife’s Table LLC. We are located off of Hwy 92 between Smithville and Kearney, MO. We grow and sell our produce, such as tomatoes, blackberries, cucumbers, and cantaloupes. In 2022, we also grew 1000 fall mums available for sale in the middle of September. Our son, Larson, has bee hives. The honey bees pollinate our garden, orchard, and mums and produce honey we sell at the stand. We have chickens and sell eggs. Labor is costly, so we often operate on the honor system. If our customers need assistance, we are usually around most of the summer months, or they can set up an appointment. From June – September, we are vendors at the Smithville Farmers & Makers Market on Wednesday evenings from 4:30 – 7:30 pm. On the weekends in the summer month, we have Amish bread and cookies available for sale.
We’d love to hear what you think about risk-taking.
Nature and farming have a wild relationship. As an owner of a farm business, risks are taken all the time. When we plant our gardens or mums, 1 bad hail storm or windstorm destroys the entire crop, and a predictor bug infestation can also destroy entire crops each summer. A late freeze can take out the buds and blossoms on fruit trees or blackberry vines. It can also kill a whole hive of bees. It can bring a profitable harvest with a plentiful bounty, but it can also kill a full crop and leave you at a loss of profit. Our flock of sheep or chickens can also come under attack from predictors. Many will kill a lamb every night until the flock is completely wiped out. Risk farmers and ranchers know very well, and you hope to take precautions to prevent it, but they are never 100% effective.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Farmwifestable
- Facebook: farmwifestable
