Not far off busy Butler Road in Mauldin, SC, you’ll find a little tucked-away secret.
Near multiple businesses, the Conestee Preserve, and several industrial facilities lies the last working farm in the Mauldin city limits, where Dwayne Goodwin and his family operate Goodwin Farms.
“We purchased it a little over two years ago,” Goodwin said. “We bought it from a great family, and her dad had built the house in 1956. It had been a farm since that time, and as far as we know, it’s the last farm in the city limits of Mauldin.”
Goodwin Farm encompasses almost 16 acres, with Hereford cattle the main focus. Goodwin owns a number of SavALot grocery stores, and has recently begun carrying Hereford beef in the stores.
“Really, I started with the hobby of raising Hereford cattle,” he said. “In May, we went to the South Carolina Hereford Association sale, and met several farmers. We started talking about what we did, and they quickly found out I had five grocery stores and asked if there was any way we could help them get Hereford beef in South Carolina. I didn’t realize you couldn’t buy Hereford beef here. There were no retailers within 500 miles.”
In early October, Goodwin introduced Hereford beef into his five SavALot stores in West Union, Laurens, Pickens, Union, and Anderson. The breed is making huge inroads into beef sales across the country.
“The American Hereford Association is the only association like that that is owned by the farmers,” Goodwin explained. “There are about 7,000 ranchers and farmers that own the American Hereford Association. Certified Hereford Beef is coming from the individual farms, and the marketing is really the group of farmers that raise the breed.”
Goodwin Farms usually has between 15-20 head of cattle.
“They’re extremely stress-free and well taken care of,” Goodwin said. “The kids love it, and we love taking care of them.”
Goodwin loves farming for another reason, too: his daughters are horsewomen. All six of them.
“We have six daughters, with one married, and our first grandbaby, who is a girl,” he said with a grin. “We have a couple at Wofford in college. Of the three at home, my 15-year-old and 11-year-old are big hunter-jumpers. They compete up at FENCE and Harmon Field in the Landrum and Tryon area, and love horses. They enjoy riding and taking care of the horses. Our six-year-old is just starting. We’re doing some lead-line classes, but I think she’s going to get the bug as well.”
Farming is a relaxing pastime for Goodwin, despite the hours and the effort.
“You start when the sun comes up, because the animals need to be taken care of,” he said. “And then it depends on what kind of day it is. Are you going to be a business owner running grocery stores, or a farmer, or just a dad that day? It’s all fun. I love the farm. It’s very quiet, and I guess therapeutic from a business perspective to just get to spend a day on the farm with the animals. You never know what each day is going to hold.”
National Ag Day is March 19th, a day to celebrate our nation's agriculture industry and the significant role it plays in our national and local economies. Agribusiness is the #1 industry of South Carolina and North Carolina, the states we call home. We're proud to highlight some of the local famers and suppliers who keep us fed, keep our economy moving, and, in some very wonderful cases, keep our staff in the highest of spirits with photoshoots turned animal therapy sessions.
