Ricky Dollison’s family has been farming in deep rural Georgia for many generations. He raises pigs, cows, goats, elderberries for toothpaste and other products, peanuts for peanut butter, a variety of crops to hit hot markets — in other words, he’s an old-fashioned farmer.
Ricky and his siblings didn’t plan it this way. Their father had encouraged them all to leave the farm for other careers. They did. When he passed, they came back, determined to fulfill his dreams and carry on their legacy. They’re not rich, they’re not rockstars — they’re just farmers. They have friends who help. It’s a literal time machine look at how farm folks have always leaned on each other.
But Ricky’s story is more than that. Farm Journal Foundation saw something in the passion, the commitment, the way he spoke. They asked him to serve as a Farmer Ambassador. And now he travels the world telling everyone about his life and work — he even takes farming’s case to congress on pressing matters. We went to Poulan, Georgia to meet Ricky and Company. Enjoy this special presentation of Where The Food Comes From brought to you in conjunction with Farm Journal Foundation and USDA National Agriculture In The Classroom.
You can find out more about Dollison Farms — and get a sneak peek at what all else went on while we were filming — in this behind-the-scenes
WTFCF Host Chip Carter trying to be friendly (Photo by Donna Sanders)
