MICHELLE HOWELL grew up hungry as a child — not figuratively, but literally. Her single mother could not drive, meaning they sometimes had no transportation to run to the grocery store or purchase water-fresh food while living in San Diego, California. After living through such an experience and being exposed to fruit and vegetable production during her childhood, Howell cultivated a drive to feed people whether or not they could afford meals. So she became a farmer. 

In the outskirts of small-town Scottsville — a little over 25 miles southeast of Bowling Green — lies the Need More Acres Farm on Hickory Lane. The 20-acre farm produces fruits, vegetables, beef, pork, and chicken. Row after row of green crops grabs the eye, and one may notice that the owners of this land have a fancy for tomatoes.

Howell’s journey began when she took her first job at Jackson’s Orchard & Nursery in Bowling Green at the age of 16 in the 1990s. She went on to attend Western Kentucky University (WKU), earning a bachelor’s degree in agriculture in 2000. Shortly after graduation, the University of Kentucky (UK) hired her using tobacco settlement funds to help tobacco farmers transition to fruit and vegetable production. During this time, she met her soulmate, Nathan Howell. Coincidentally, the UK hired Nathan, also a WKU graduate, for the same purpose. Adding to their shared history, both were born in 1977. Full-time farmer parents raised Nathan in Hart County. Their similar backgrounds and passions brought them together, leading to a marriage and careers dedicated to helping farmers through education and support. 

In 2011, they created the Community Farmers Market in Bowling Green with a group of farmers to help farm businesses thrive. The market ran all year, offering a variety of farm products. However, they one day did the unthinkable: They threw their careers away to actually farm. For Nathan, the best way he could help farmers was to join them, which exactly fulfilled Michelle’s desire to feed the hungry. 

“We had several barriers,” Michelle said. “We had to find access to land, which was very difficult. That’s why we ended up in Allen County, leaving our steady, secure, full-time jobs with benefits to have our own business. We knew it would be really hard work, and we were willing to put that work in.” 

The Howells take their harvests and sell them at the Community Farmers Market at 2319 Nashville Road along with a host of other vendors when the business opens on Tuesdays from 2 to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nathan loves growing heirloom tomatoes, usually producing 20 to 30 diverse types. Their children — Carter, Elizabeth, Lilah, Adaline, and Sterling — are also heavily involved with the farm work, as one would imagine, fashioning a true family business. 

Need More Acres Farms partners with the public health departments in Warren County and Allen County, the school systems, Refuge Bowling Green, Addiction’s Salon and Spa, and several other organizations that distribute the farm’s food boxes. As of 2024, Michelle said her family has recently been able to dispense about 10,000 food boxes a year. 

“There’s two things we’re doing at the same time,” Michelle said. “One of them is helping ourselves and other farmers be successful. It’s getting better, but there was definitely a time when farmers had moved toward growing commodity crops like corn, soy, and wheat. [We are] trying to get farmers to be able to do profitable growing and healthier foods. And then, in addition to that, making sure that anybody in our community who needs access to that can have it.” 

The Howells strive for all this while not becoming too competitive, ensuring there is enough income for everyone. Furthermore, they still work to educate consumers about healthy, locally grown food and how to prepare and cook those blessings. 

“For me, it’s about the value of having a legacy that we can pass on to the next generation, teaching my kids the value of hard work and serving their community,” Michelle said. “Then, in addition to our children, we have a lot of employees on the farm. A lot of them are high schoolers or young people, and [we] just try to encourage them to think about farming one day.” 

Michelle invites everyone to support them and other farmers by purchasing local food or backing organizations that assist local businesses. Kentuckians can also choose to volunteer at the Need More Acres Farm. GN