Vanessa McNeil Trent
FarmHer, Canning Queen, Collector of Animals
Hometown:
Knoxville & Athens, Tenn.
Fave Farm Animal:
Fave farm moment:
Jonathan proposing to me on the front porch/bed swing before a date night. He was a nervous wreck.
Resident at Hillcrest Farm since:
March 1, 2021
She's Gone Country
Vanessa was born in Knoxville, raised in Athens, and finished growing up in Hixson. She always lived in neighborhoods, but longed for wide open fields, country road, quiet, and horses -- after all she had an imaginary horse (Trixie) as a child. She purchased a real horse (an auction kill pen save), a Tennessee Walker named Lucky Stars, after college and eventually he retired to her cousins ranch outside of Gallatin, Tenn. Her goal was to get a farm and bring him home but life had other plans and he crossed the rainbow bridge.
At Christmastime 2020, the opportunity to purchase the farm came out of nowhere. Friends who owned it previously were moving to be closer to family and they were going to list it, unless she wanted to purchase it -- the deal closed on March 1, 2021.
You can read the whole Hillcrest story here, but all you need to know about Vanessa is that she wasn't born in the country, but she got here as fast as she could.
Jonathan Trent
Farmer, Animal Care Expert, Fave farmhand
Hometown:
Spencer, Virginia
Fave farm animal:
Fave farm moment:
My fortieth birthday party - May the forties be with you!
Resident at Hillcrest Farm since:
August 4, 2022
He's Gone Back to his Roots
Raised in rural Spencer, Virginia, Jonathan moved with his family as he finished high school to the Ooltewah area. He too, lived in neighborhoods and after a fateful right swipe on a dating app, months later he ended up leaving his neighborhood, going back to his roots and moving to the country.
Jonathan is the best farmhand and he truly loves all of the animals (even Thelma, the bossy goat). He looks at the farm like Vanessa, as a labor of love. You won't see Jonathan in canning classes, but he will probably be around working on a project or checking on the babies.