The Farm
Swallowtail Farm is newly located in southeast Gainesville, in historic Rochelle. The land is nestled under a mossy canopy of ancient live oaks, and buffered on all sides by pasture, prairie and wetlands. There is rich history to the land and homestead alike, and the farm is graced by grazed soils and bountiful native flora and fauna. We have brought our small dairy herd of Jerseys, our flock of laying hens, heritage breed pigs, Falcor & Yeti (Maremma & Pyrenees), Dash & Charlie (? & Fox Hound) Boo & Shadow (Manx & Maine coon), and our own growing little family to help caretake the land. We are crafting the farm as a model of sustainability and fine land stewardship, with a focus on appropriate scale, conservation of resources, and nature-produced fertility. We practice non-tillage, and draw on biodynamics, permaculture, regenerative agriculture, agroforestry, and more, for method. No synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides or other chemicals will ever touch our fields or your food. We believe that we are only visitors here, and are caretaking the land for the living earth.
The Farmers
Noah Shitama
Noah Shitama was blessed with the arrival of his son Rain just a couple of years after graduating from Emory University. He was planting gardens and native landscapes for folks around Gainesville at the time, and felt further driven to provide better nourishment for his children. Inspired by the mentorship of Patrick Ross at Sandhill Farm, and after traveling the country with his family to visit and learn from farms near and far afield, he founded Swallowtail Farm in the Spring of 2009. It is his dream in practice that Swallowtail Farm becomes a model of authentic sustainability, a place of deep learning and healing, a source of true nourishment, and a reflection of the community that it serves.
Melissa Muller
Melissa apprenticed at Swallowtail in 2016-17 after 5 years of practicing law and a lifetime of being drawn to earth and nature. After a major life event, she knew that radical change was the only option to start living in alignment with her values as a mother and human. She was lucky enough to have an amazing group of humans offering the learning she needed at Swallowtail. She is deeply passionate about all aspects of farming, as well as mentoring, and you can often find her snuggling a piglet or calf, glass of red wine in hand, at the end of a long day of fieldwork. Her sweet son Elijah loves farm life and can give the best farm tours of anyone around. She is a fiery advocate for human equality and equity, land stewardship, and this beautiful planet, and nurtures those around her in whatever way she can.
Noah and Melissa live together on the 28 acre land that is now their home and the new location of Swallowtail Farm. Noah’s son, Rain, will be turning 18 years old this fall, and his daughter, Taye, just turned 15. Melissa’s son, Elijah, will turn 12 this summer. Noah and Melissa are expecting their first child together in September.