#129: From One Cow to a Full-Time Farm: Building a First-Generation Farm with Intention
“You’re going to make mistakes — and then you’re going to learn from those mistakes.”
This episode of Farming on Purpose features a thoughtful, real-world conversation with Hayley Darnielle, the owner of Crooked Creek Farms in Montana. What began as a small, informal way to share farm life online has grown into a diversified, direct-to-consumer operation providing raw milk, pork, poultry, eggs, and more to local families.
Hayley’s story is rooted in first-generation farming, food freedom, and intentional growth — building a business that supports her family while staying grounded in responsibility, transparency, and hard-earned experience.
Finding Agriculture Without Growing Up in It
Hayley didn’t grow up in agriculture in the traditional sense. Her entry into the industry came when her mom remarried a rancher during Hayley’s childhood — a relationship she credits as foundational to who she is today.
Later, after meeting her husband and returning to her home area, agriculture became not just part of her life, but the foundation of it. Together, Hayley and her husband began building their own operation alongside his work as a ranch hand, learning through hands-on experience rather than inherited systems or infrastructure.
Like many first-generation producers, they started with very little — and built forward from there.
Crooked Creek Farms: From a Facebook Page to a Full-Time Operation
Crooked Creek Farms didn’t begin as a carefully mapped business plan. It started as a Facebook page — a place for Hayley to share photos of chickens, bottle calves, and daily farm life without overwhelming her personal feed.
Everything shifted when Montana passed the Food Freedom Act, opening the door for direct-to-consumer sales of raw milk and other farm products. Hayley began with a single cow, testing demand carefully. That demand grew quickly — and so did the operation.
Over time, Crooked Creek Farms became a full-time livelihood, allowing Hayley to leave her off-farm job and stay home with her daughter while continuing to grow the business.
Food Freedom, Responsibility, and Consumer Trust
While Montana’s food freedom laws created opportunity, Hayley is clear that freedom only works when producers take responsibility seriously.
Although not required beyond basic guidelines, she regularly tests her herd, sends milk samples for analysis, and prioritizes transparency with customers. For Hayley, food freedom isn’t about avoiding oversight — it’s about earning trust through consistent, ethical practices.
She also emphasizes the shared responsibility between producer and consumer, encouraging open conversations about handling, storage, and expectations.
Diversification That Serves a Purpose
Crooked Creek Farms is diversified — but not randomly.
Every animal on the farm serves a role within a broader system. Milk feeds families, but it also feeds pigs, calves, poultry, and orphan animals. Chickens follow cattle to improve pasture health. Pigs are raised in creek bottoms that can’t be used for much else.
Hayley’s goal isn’t endless expansion — it’s efficiency, circular use of resources, and building systems that work on limited acreage without burning her out.
Learning Through Trial, Error, and Motherhood
Not every idea has worked — and Hayley is open about that.
From stepping away from turkeys to pausing meat birds during early motherhood, she’s learned that success often comes from knowing when to stop, adjust, or wait. Becoming a mom forced clearer boundaries and ultimately reshaped how she evaluates new projects.
Some lessons were expensive. Others were humbling. All of them were necessary.
Building Infrastructure Without Inheriting It
As a first-generation producer, Hayley didn’t inherit barns, parlors, or equipment. Early on, she milked cows tied to a fence — in Montana winters — because that was what was available.
Eventually, building a milking barn became a necessity, not a luxury. That investment dramatically improved daily life and long-term sustainability for the operation.
By learning from neighbors, repurposing materials, borrowing equipment, and making careful investments, Hayley and her husband have built infrastructure that works now — with room to grow in the future.
Navigating Customer Relationships in Direct-to-Consumer Sales
Selling food directly to customers brings connection — and complexity.
Drawing on years of customer service experience, Hayley has learned how to navigate missed pickups, product concerns, refunds, and expectations. She emphasizes clear communication, fairness, and boundaries — including knowing when it’s necessary to stop selling to a customer altogether.
Protecting the business, she notes, is just as important as serving the customer.
A Grant That Changed the Trajectory
One of the most impactful turning points for Crooked Creek Farms came through the USDA Value-Added Producer Grant, totaling nearly $50,000 over three years.
The grant helped fund marketing, advertising, fuel reimbursement, and a professionally built website — freeing up cash flow for infrastructure investments and operational growth.
While the application process was long and demanding, Hayley credits the support of local development organizations and USDA representatives for helping her through it — and says the outcome was worth the effort.
Two Operations Growing Together
Crooked Creek Farms operates alongside Darnielle Farms, Hayley and her husband’s cattle operation. Rather than competing, the two businesses support each other.
Extra calves raised through the dairy helped pay off equipment loans early. Shared labor and equipment allow flexibility. And Crooked Creek Farms provides the income stability that allows Hayley to stay home and contribute more fully to both operations.
Together, they form a system that’s stronger than either would be alone.
What’s Next for Crooked Creek Farms
Hayley isn’t chasing growth for the sake of it — but she isn’t standing still either.
Looking ahead, she plans to:
Expand the pig operation
Bring meat birds back with additional help
Grow the garden beyond family use
Continue refining pasture and systems
Add cows when the market allows
For Hayley, growth is about momentum, not pressure — and building something that can last.
Where to Find Crooked Creek Farms
You can follow Hayley’s journey and learn more about her operation at:
Website: https://www.crookedcreekfarmsmt.com/
Facebook / Instagram / TikTok: Crooked Creek Farms MT
Personal Facebook: Hayley Darnielle
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About the Host of Farming On Purpose, Lexi Wright:
I’m your host, Lexi Wright. I started the Farming on Purpose Podcast from a passion for sharing the future of production agriculture.
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