Ellington

In 2001, 7-year-old David Huff wanted to have some livestock to show. A friend of his had a goat farm, and after spending time there, David decided to get two goats and bring them to the show. Since then, David has amassed 25 dairy goats and about 90 meat goats, in addition to some chicken and horses.

So who is David Huff? He is the eldest of four boys. His brothers Alex and Andrew are twin 10-year-olds. John Mark is the youngest at 5. Mark and Debbie Huff are their parents who decided to raise their boys in a family-oriented and agrarian environment. The Huff household is a strong Christian family, their farm: "Hidden Arrows Farm" was named for Psalms 127: 3-5, which reads: "Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate."

Mark Huff lovingly says: "These boys are our arrows. Right now they are 'hidden' while we raise them to be godly young men; one day they will be released in the world to spread the gospel and the love of the Lord."

Debbie and the boys mostly run Hidden Arrows Farm because Mark has a job in Jackson. Debbie Huff says, "Raising livestock teaches kids responsibility because the animals depend on them for everything."

She adds that the philosophy behind the farm is to provide the children with home-centered nurturing where everybody in the family is involved in all the activities. You can tell that family is really close to Debbie's heart. When I talked with the Huffs, Debbie consistently engaged everyone, even little John Mark. She encouraged the boys to share their opinions and views about the farm. It was amazing to see the love and respect that weaves the Huff family together.

Each of the boys cares for a group of goats and helps feed the chickens, the horses and the watch dogs. Little John Mark gathers the eggs and feeds the cats. All four boys are home-schooled, and Debbie Huff uses their responsibilities on the farm as teaching tools.

Hidden Arrows Farm produces several products. The Huffs produce and sell fresh goat milk, cheese, soap, lotion and natural beeswax lip balm available at their farm. The goat milk soaps are the star products of the farm. Debbie and the boys make the soaps from scratch. The soaps contain natural soybean, coconut and olive oils along with fresh goat milk. She also uses a variety of fragrances using essential oils such as lavender and eucalyptus. One of the soaps contains oatmeal and is an excellent facial cleanser. The oatmeal gently exfoliates the skin and the goat milk moisturizes and balances the skin.

And people like the soaps.

"We didn't really know what the results were going to be, but we have people coming back for more and giving us some very positive feedback, so that's how we knew that we were making something good," Mark says, laughing.

But customers attest to the benefits of the soaps. Some say the goat milk soap fades age spots and helps with psoriasis and eczema. The soaps cleared Debbie's poison ivy. A man with Parkinson's disease regularly buys the soaps because they balance his skin from extremely dry and sometimes oily to a good medium. The soap that contains tea tree oil, oatmeal and honey is really good for acne. The owner of Beach Look Tanning Salon in Pearl told Debbie that the soaps help maintain a tan longer because of the moisturizing effects of the goat milk.

The Huffs are regulars at the Belhaven Market every Saturday where you can visit with the whole family. Their products are also available at the Co-op in Brandon, Brandon Discount Drug, Brock at Maywood Mart, Best of Health at Highland Village, Beach Look Tanning Salon in Pearl and several stores in Puckett.

For more information about Hidden Arrows Farm visit their Web site at http://www.hiddenarrowsfarm.com.