About Us

Quail Run Farm is a veteran-owned, family-operated regenerative farm in Lookout Valley, Tennessee. Following in the footsteps of those regenerative farmers who utilized the land and the natural resources of their animals, we are able to provide you with the most ethically sourced meat, eggs, and honey in Chattanooga.

The Riley Family

We have been living at Quail Run Farm with our two young sons since we purchased the property in 2022, where we also recently had our third son, Judah, join the family. When we did, we became the third family to work the land here in Lookout Valley. While both our families’ roots are here in Tennessee, we actually met 4,000 miles away at Oxford University while doing our PhDs. So it felt like a moment of Godly serendipity to find the perfect farm only an hour west of Joe’s tiny hometown of Etowah when we moved to Tennessee in 2021. 

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We consider it an honor and responsibility to restore the working farm back to the bustling production it knew for decades, especially since it feels like a continuation of the family legacy – there are generations of dairy, crop and beef farmers in Joe’s history and tree nurseries and dairy farms in Rachel’s. Passing on this family legacy of farming to our children and sharing it with other families is a calling that we feel God has for our lives. Like most callings, it is rarely easy but always worth it. 

While Joe can often be found herding cattle on horseback (a throwback to his 4-H days) and Rachel working with the chickens or gardens (responsibilities she’s known since childhood), we both have full time jobs and rely on the farm team to run most day-to-day work on the farm.

Darren Flanagan

Farm Manager

Born and raised in the area, and a blessing to this farm, Darren overseas the construction, maintenance and expansion of the farm operations. He joined in the Summer of 2023, after an eventful period of Farm Managers here. Darren can just about build and fix anything around here, from tiny homes to chicken tractors. He's currently overseeing all the Tiny home expansion, giving you more places to stay in Spring 2025! 

Want to chat to him about his work? Give him a call on (423) 717 0213.

 

Melissa Shepherd

Head of Operations

All the way from Yorkshire, England, Melissa overseas the day to day of animal husbandry on the farm. Melissa works with our fantastic volunteers to ensure all our animals are happy, healthy and fed. Melissa also overseas the sales, marketing and customer relations here and runs the FarmFit programme. 

Want to know how we raise our beef from farm to fork or want to get strong enough to lift a cow? Give her a call on (423) 637 8461. 

 

AJ Jackson

Head of social media and marketing

AJ joined the team in Spring 2024 from Knoxville, after having previously volunteered here on the farm. AJ brings the fun to our social media and keeps you all up to date with latest news, events and specials! You'll likely see her at all our markets (Main Street, Chattanooga and holiday markets) around the city, telling you ALL about our products and who we are! 

Want to know what's in stock? Get in touch with AJ on (865) 297 6335.

Chad Parks

Head of Hospitality

Chad is from Mississippi, but has been working with the Riley family since 2021. Chad runs all hospitality on the farm, as well as overnight horse boarding, and is here to make sure you have an 11/10 stay with us on the farm. Chad also put the Quail into Quail Run Farm adding 15 to the farm this year. 

Have questions on any of our tiny homes or yurts? Chad will happily help you on (662) 466 6010.

 

Volunteers

WWOOFERS

Our 'WWOOFers' are volunteers who come stay on the farm, finding us through a website that stands for Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms. We have always enjoyed having people come stay, help and get involved since we moved in 2022. We have had over 40 volunteers on the farm in the past 2 years!

We have anywhere between 3-9 woofers at any one time, who help feed and look after the animals daily, as well as help out with the on farm market.

If you'd like to get involved, head over to https://wwoof.net to find us!