For over 45 years, our family has called this farm home. This land is more than just a place to live—it is a story of heritage, hard work, and the lessons of agrarian life that we hope to share through this blog. Once part of a larger property homesteaded by Noah Cowart in the early 1800s, it was passed down through generations—from his son William Henderson to his grandson Harvey Lane. At one time, the farm encompassed one thousand acres. From its inception in the 1800s, the farm on the Hill was greatly diversified, providing practically every need. The enterprising Cowarts produced cattle (beef, dairy, and oxen), horses and mules, sheep, goats, hogs, chickens, and turkeys. They also harvested timber, cotton, pecans, and a full range of fruits and vegetables—even growing tobacco and rice. Non-farm essentials were acquired through infrequent trips to Summit, a two-day mule and wagon event.
In 1974, Clifford Berryhill and his first wife moved to the Cowart place just before Brandy was born. In 1976, he relocated to Texas, where he worked as a cowboy for three years. In 1979, he returned to Mississippi as a single man. That summer, I came home from Mississippi State University, having decided to pursue a degree in Agricultural Communications. Later that year, Cliff proposed, offering me the option to be awarded my ‘MRS degree.’ We married in 1980 and soon settled back on the hill to build our life and raise our family here. (Come to think of it, I’ve been communicating in agriculture ever since!)
.With the encouragement of Harvey and Hazel, Cliff and I embraced the opportunity to grow our own beef, hogs, horses, and chickens, as well as maintain gardens and fields that fed both our family and our animals. We began homeschooling our children in 1988, not long before we purchased our portion of the Cowart farm. Our pleasures were simple: working together, church on Sundays, family gatherings, swimming in the ice-cold creek, Little League baseball, 4H, reading aloud from the classics and Louis L’Amour novels, coon-hunting, and fishing. It was the idyllic farm family life.
In 2006, pancreatic cancer turned our world upside down, and I became a widow and single mom. Overnight, I found myself responsible for every aspect of the farm—making financial decisions, maintaining the land, and caring for our children while navigating overwhelming grief. It was a daunting challenge, but I was committed to keep our home and heritage alive. Determined to keep the farm going, I attended every class and workshop I could find to help me learn more about managing it on my own. Through this process, I discovered Mississippi Women for Agriculture and a program named Annie’s Project—both of which became invaluable to me. We will talk more about that later.
It was practically impossible to maintain the farm the way Cliff had done, but we did what we could. Over time, the challenges of farm life taught us resilience, adaptability, and the importance of community. Several years later, God also sent me Raymond Alesich, a kind and caring man; we married in 2015, and he has devoted his time and energy to maintain and improve the farm. We have plans and dreams for the Hill.
Early on, Cliff and I affectionately referred to our cow/calf operation as The Flying B Cattle Company, a nod to his father’s original brand. We registered the brand with the state and continued the tradition of marking our cattle just as Mr. Douglas had before us—honoring his legacy of quality livestock. Sugarberry Hill started as a playful brand name when I was sewing children’s clothes, but it stayed with me. My daddy used to call me “Sugar” (or “Sam”), and my married name was Berryhill—so I blended the two into something uniquely mine. Over time, the name began to feel like the perfect fit for our farm: a place rooted in family, tradition, and creativity.
Sugarberry Hill Farms continues to stand as a testament to hard work, faith, and the deep-rooted love of family and the land. This blog is a place to share our journey, the lessons we’ve learned, and the beauty of agrarian life. Thank you for joining us on this adventure.
