Crooked Gap :: A Heritage Farm

For the past few months (and probably longer) I've been fighting with the idea of a new farm name. I Absolutely loved the Stoneyfield name, but there was just too much confusion from a name recognition standpoint, so a new name was needed. The problem was finding just the right name that I loved. Eventually I realized that I just had to go with something and stick with it! So, after months of thinking and trying on several different names for size it's settled. The new farm name is ...

... Crooked Gap ...

As you can see from the logo we've also added a new tagline ("A Heritage Farm") that fits well with the farm and the values of the farm. There is just so much to love about the heritage breeds because they were livestock breeds that were developed to thrive in low input situations and pass on hardy genetics to their offspring. With that in mind I'm particularly focusing on the the older breeds that fit well into the this farms system of management. Plus ... it gives me a good excuse to focus in on my love of history.

You may be wondering about the name though ... Simply put, the farm is just off of what is locally called "the crooked road to Melcher," so I thought it would be a fitting name for a farm. And the "Gap" portion of the name helps tie everything back to history. You may have heard of some of the famous "gaps" that played an important part in our nations growth and expansion. One of those famous "gaps" is Cumberland Gap which was the main highway for settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains.

All of that local lingo and those historical connections led to Crooked Gap. On top of all that though is the fact that I just like the name. I think it's unique and fun and fitting! Plus, I don't think we'll be having to do a name change anytime soon ;)

Muddy Hole Farm?

I love the farm name. I love the history of it, I love the sound of it, and I even love the looks of it. Unfortunately it is not a unique name in the food industry, so it is time that I seriously consider a name change. This is something that I have been putting off because I liked our original name so very much. But, as our farm business grows and we look to expanding this summer and beyond through various sales outlets it is important that we have a name that we are going to stick with and that we can get out in front of our customers and potential customers.

The picture above is a map showing a portion of George Washington's Mount Vernon estate. He had the land broken up into six (at least) farms and had a name for each of them. Mansion House Farm is out because of the obvious things (maybe Barn-esque House Farm). Union Farm is out because I just don't find it very appealing, Dogue (sounds like vogue) Run Farm is out because it is difficult to pronounce, River Farm doesn't work here, and Little Hunting Creek Farm just seems a bit long.

That leaves Muddy Hole Farm (I would like to know the story behind that name). With our pigs I would say that it fits perfectly! And, can you imagine all the neat little advertising images that we could come up with? But, maybe the name just doesn't scream "neat little family farm". Although ... it could grow on me ...

So, do you have any thoughts on a historically driven farm name? Daniel Webster's farm was called Elms Farm. Patrick Henry's first farm was Pine Slash Farm. Any other ideas?