While FarmHER Morgan Flowers’ operation, Flowers Creamery, is one of more than 170 dairies across Tennessee, it is one of very few genuinely taking that process from start to finish.
Flowers Creamery
Located in Ethridge, Tenn., a rural area of southwestern Middle Tennessee, Flowers Creamery specializes in small-batch cheeses and cream-line milk. But for them, making high-quality milk and cheese starts with the cow herd, which they also raise.
Not only that, Morgan and her husband, Brian, grow the row crops to feed their 200 cows, operate their own milking facility, process and package their cream line milk and cheese on-site, and sell it from a retail storefront located on the farm. Together, they’ve created a one-of-a-kind dairy business built upon their passion and persistence as first-generation farmers.
I’d Rather Be Farming
Morgan was on track for a very different path when she chose farming instead. At the time, she was studying law in Memphis.
“While I was in law school, [I] decided I’d rather be farming because I like animals better than people most of the time.”
Morgan met her husband, Brian, on a visit back home from law school. As the son of a cattle and tobacco farmer, Brian introduced her to the world of farming – instantly, all the pieces fell into place. While she’d never actually practice law, Morgan would later use her legal background to build a complex dairy operation from the ground up.
“When we met and was dating, we was riding around one day, and she was telling me about what kind of law she was going to practice, and I laughed,” Brian recalls. “I said, ‘you ought to be a cheese maker.’ And she just laughed about it. And look at us now.”
Today, they do, in fact, make award-winning cheese! However, it wasn’t quite that simple.
Brian might be the son of a farmer, but he didn’t inherit the business he runs today. He acquired it through determination and years of hard work.
“His parents told them, ‘Nobody’s getting the farm. You all have to do something else,’” Morgan says. “He started the farm right after high school. He knew right away that’s what he wanted to do, so he bootstrapped his own farm separate from his dad, like, all by himself.”
Despite his parents’ encouragement to pursue an off-farm career, he and Morgan started farming together and began building Flowers Creamery.
“They wanted us to have an easier, simpler life—be able to go on vacation and do everything and not be so tied down. But I didn’t listen,” Brian says.
“…and then we bought his dad out for him to retire,” Morgan explains.
“They’re proud of us now,” Brian adds.
A House Made of Cheese
They decided early on that direct-to-consumer business was the best way to ensure the longevity of their operation.
“We started production in the summer of 2020, which was a very exciting time to start a business. and we had started the facility and planning about a year before that,” Morgan explains. “My husband, Brian, had wanted to do cheese for a long time. And so, he had kind of been planning and taking cheese courses and things like that for probably a decade before we started, just because he was interested in doing it.”
Building on their history in cattle farming and unique legal expertise, the Flowers have grown a business that takes their dairy from pasture to package.
“We’re very particular about the cows,” Morgan says. “So, one thing that we make sure is he milks and touches every cow at least once a day. And then, we both do the cheesemaking because we want consistency and quality in our food products.”
Brian takes care of the crops and cows, while Morgan leads the cheesemaking, production process, and direct sales. Employing her legal knowledge, Morgan expertly navigates the complex health and safety regulations surrounding the cheesemaking process. Technically, they operate two separate dairy businesses on one farm so they can control the process from pasture to package.
In the next all-new episode of FarmHER, Host Kirbe Schnoor samples Flowers Creamery’s Tennessee State Fair award-winning cheese and milk with FarmHER Morgan Flowers to learn what goes into crafting these delicious dairy products. You don’t want to miss it!
Watch the FarmHER Season Six Finale featuring Morgan Flowers when it premieres on Tuesday, October 15, at 9:00 PM ET only on RFD-TV. Catch encore re-airings of the episode on Friday at 9:30 PM and Saturday at 11:30 AM ET.
Binge all episodes and past seasons of FarmHER and RanchHER on-demand at any time with your annual RFD-TV Now subscription. To sign up today, visit https://www.watchrfdtv.com/Account/SignUp.