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2026 SFA Film Residency, with multi-city in-person experiences and monthly virtual workshops ⟶
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Renew
Summer 2026—February 2027
2026 SFA Film Residency, with multi-city in-person experiences and monthly virtual workshops ⟶

Oral Histories

The SFA oral history program documents life stories from the American South. Collecting these stories, we honor the people whose labor defines the region. If you would like to contribute to SFA’s oral history collections, please send your ideas for oral history along with your CV or Resume and a portfolio of prior oral history work to info@southernfoodways.org.

< Back to Oral History project: Oxford Community Market

ORAL HISTORY

Reed Falkner

Falkner Farms

Reed Falkner operates Falkner Farms, his family’s farm that raises cattle and chickens. Born and raised in Oxford, Reed was heavily involved in sports as a child and a teenager, before attending college at Delta State University. Reed remembers riding around and working on the farm as a child, surrounded by cattle and horses and a family garden. After some time working in fitness in California and Georgia, Reed returned to Oxford with his wife Elizabeth in 2016 to work as the head coach and a teacher at Coffeeville High School. After the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Reed transitioned to full-time farm work in 2020. Falkner Farms has a large egg and beef production, and the farm’s products have become popular throughout the Oxford area, including at the Oxford Community Market and the Mid-Town Market.

Date of interview:
2023-07-05

Interviewer:
Sarah I. Rodriguez

Photographer:
Emily Williams

Download Transcript

“

“It's fun. The market's such a cool experience, and just not like a one-time thing. Once you stay there and you establish what you're doing, who you are, and this is your family, it really becomes a community.” - Reed Falkner

Other Project Interviews

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Doug Davis

Doug Davis is the owner and operator of Yokna Bottoms Farm in Oxford, MS.

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Rosie Hawkins

Rosie Hawkins bakes fried pies, cookies, and other sweet treats for the Oxford Community Market.

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Leonard Brown

Leonard Brown owns and operates Brown’s Farm in Water Valley, MS.

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Betsy Chapman

Betsy Chapman is the director of the Oxford Community Market in Oxford, MS.

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Kevin Guyer & Kerry O’Donoghue

Husband-and-wife duo Kevin Guyer and Kerry O’Donoghue own and operate Poultry in Motion Farm, which produces eggs, herbs, breads, and canned goods.

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Bridgette Gordon & Talisha Gordon

Mother and daughter Bridgette and Talisha Gordon operate Live Again Events, LLC, an organization that promotes women’s welfare in north Mississippi.

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Stark Aldridge

Stark Aldridge is a native of north Mississippi and provides fresh eggs, jams, jellies, and baked goods to the Oxford Community Market.

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The Southern Foodways Alliance drives a more progressive future by leading conversations that challenge existing constructs, shape perspectives, and foster meaningful discussions. We reconsider the past with research, scrutiny, and documentation.

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