Alabama Goat Cheese Farm Could be Yours, for an Essay
Owners want to give a farmer a new, debt-free start.
— -- An Alabama couple is looking to give away their goat cheese farm to the right person who can express in an essay why they are up for the task.
Leslie and Paul Spell started the essay contest after finding out most of those interested in purchasing Humble Heart Farms in Elkmont, Alabama couldn’t afford the $350,000 price, according to a report by ABC News affiliate WAAY-TV.
The couple is looking at moving to Costa Rica to assist missionaries in starting goat farms and thought of the essay contest as a way to give a farmer a new start without saddling them with debt, the television station reports.
"Debt is one of the worst things you can have as a farmer," Paul Spell told WAAY-TV.
The essay winner will receive the debt-free house and farm on 20 acres, a dairy and cheese-making building with animals and equipment, along with recipes and training, according to the contest website.
The Spells are hoping to get at least 2,500 entries, with the $150 entry fees covering the rest of the mortgage on the house, and $20,000 to give to the winner for startup cost on their business.
"Not to say they won't have struggles or stuff to figure out, but they are going to start with a product that has a following," Leslie Spell told WAAY-TV. "They can pick it up and start running and I am so excited to see where they take it."