Cajun roots taken to the Ozarks.
Black Dog Farm is run by two Louisiana natives who took their love of food and farming to the Ozarks in 2014. Well, three Louisiana natives, if you count their furry helper.
Our Story
Black Dog Farm grows food the only way we know how: with love. A love that begins its story in the most southern parts of Louisiana. A love found in thousands of years of farming traditions. A love felt in your kitchen all the way to your table. In the laughter you share with loved ones at get-togethers. In your favorite dish at your favorite local restaurant. From our small plot of land to your home, we infuse everything that we are into every nutrient in the food we grow. We grow with love. Right here in the Ozarks. And it all started with two people who fell in love, as a matter of fact.
Louisiana natives Darren and Crystal Dugas were dreaming of becoming farmers long before they could make that dream a reality. They were working for other people, longing for a sense of purpose in their day-to-day. But as if fate initiated the whole thing herself, an opportunity fell in their laps to purchase both a house and land in the Ozarks. Sold.
The Cajun duo with a big dream and an even bigger dog made their way north and never looked back. The Ozarks deserved more farmers who cared, and they couldn’t wait to get started. Their dream finally found a home. But there was much to be done. Farm equipment needed to be purchased. Plot plans to be drawn out. Waterways to be dug. Seeds to be acquired. Clients to earn the trust of. Partnerships to be made. Food to be grown. Blood, sweat, and tears were shed (and a few heat strokes under the summer sun, honestly), but it was all worth it. The dream was big, but never a regret. The couple rallied behind one simple goal: grow. Grow the food. Grow the community. Grow with love.
But there was another piece left in this complicated puzzle: the name. Darren and Crystal took one look at their furry companion, then at each other, and they just knew. It had to be Black Dog Farm. It’s perfect, right?
Together, we’ve built partnerships with local grocery stores and are selling produce through them. We’ve made meaningful relationships with local restaurants and are honored to be a part of their journey, too. We have longtime clients who became our friends. And we have a farm that just doesn’t stop growing. We grow more food every year. We distribute further from home than when we started.
On our small plot of land, we promise there’s one thing that will never change: the love that drives our farm. Our love of food. Our love of this community. Our love of the Ozarks. We grow love. Grow is a four-legged word, after all.