Rachel Ainsworth puts the lie to the old adage “you can’t go home again.” She not only moved back to Magee but is thriving here with the development of Hilltop Farms Fresh Cut Flowers.
Rachel moved several times as a young girl because of her father’s job. Randy Ainsworth worked with South Central Bell/Bell South/AT&T for a total of 35 years before he retired in 2018.
Traveling was always part of Rachel’s life and in 2013 she left Magee and the farm at the top of the hill on Airport Road, family land for several generations.
“As far as we know the old property was from 1920, but I have documentation where he was dairying in 1915. I’m thinking it was probably one of those first rent-to-own operations at the beginning. But 1920 we have documentation he bought four 40s (160 acres) that was the original of what he bought,” explained Randy.
Randy’s dad is Wiley Ainsworth, who was well known in Simpson County for his hay. He had 400 acres. His father was Rice Ainsworth. The Ainsworth family originally moved from South Carolina to Bay Springs, MS. According to Randy, “My grandfather’s dad passed from pneumonia and so his mother moved here and married into the Duckworth family.”
The farm has been through many changes since its early days of dairy farming.
The family first had jersey cows for milk. According to Randy, his father sold raw milk in Magee. “Because of selling milk he had a weekly income where most farmers had once a year. He was able to cash flow with the bankers because they knew he had income coming in every week.”
It was here that Wiley began using his cows and mules, actually naming them on the loan application, as collateral for buying more land. “In about two to two and a half years he would pay that note off. Then he would do another note for another piece of property. That’s how he bought his property.”
Rachel continued, “My papaw had six sisters and he was the youngest of seven and they all – including the women – everybody worked the farm and they were all left land when he passed. That way they were set.”
Randy’s aunts, Mary May and Myra Stringer, drove the truck to Memphis, to New Orleans to sell whatever. These two sisters eventually opened M&M Bakery in downtown Magee.
The farm adapted as the economy changed. It transitioned from dairy to Angus beef cattle and catfish. Then Wiley began growing hay to feed the cattle and left catfish farming. They continued with beef and hay while Randy added chicken houses. The phone company laid Randy off in June 1983 but called him back in January 1989. He tried his hand at running the chicken farm with hired and family labor, eventually leaving that business in 1996. Cattle and hay remained.
Rachel said that now they lease most of the land. “Papaw sold all of his cattle and agreed to lease the land. The cattle on both sides of the road are descendants of his original cattle.” Randy has maintained that lease relationship ever since.
Rachel made several moves across the United States after leaving Magee in 2013. She said it was hard and great all at the same time. In May 2024 Rachel was visiting her parents when a possible move home became a serious topic of conversation. “But coming back I knew I didn’t want to have 9-5 Monday through Friday. For my mental health I like to be great at what I do. When you start working in a business or a company you start over-giving a lot. It got to where I would get a job, I would do very well at that job and I would do too much, take on too much and then I would be overwhelmed.”
Moving back to her family homestead was a big decision. Rachel left because there was so little to do in the way of work in Magee. “When I moved back in July we were still building air castles. We had talked about sheep. Air castles are dreams. My papaw has always called them air castles and we still do!” explained Rachel. Her dad added, “You can build an air castle and it doesn’t cost a thing!”
Rachel continued about her return. “With the changes in my life I wanted slower. I wanted time with my “boys” – my dog is 9 and my cat is 19. I could work at the feed store a couple of days a week and spend time with my boys.”
Once she returned the family decided to raise flowers and together with her dad they developed a plan. They built fences, worked out an agreement with their lessee to return five acres so there would be enough land to grow the flowers, and brought in materials to supplement the soil. They used contractual services for a new well and terrace creation for the flowers.
They also had to clear the land as it was overgrown with trees and brush. Rachel had never seen it cleared and her father had seen it only as a child. Randy is now 68.
“I had an idea of wanting to do a farm stand. I like the idea of seasonal work so I can work really hard for a few months of the year so I can live my life the rest of the year. I really like to travel, and this lets me go to different markets. Also if I want to take a week a month, I can take a week a month because I’m blessed to have support to make sure everything is watered or whatever needs to be done. I don’t travel as much but I knew moving back to Magee, I didn’t want to be here every day of the year. For my mental health, what’s good for me spiritually and all kinds of different reasons, I knew I needed to keep travelling. I knew I didn’t necessarily want to work in an office,” said Rachel.
She continued that she is a firm believer in a work/life balance, mental health needs and the existence of real spiritual warfare. “These are things that are real and everybody has to deal in different ways throughout their lives. What I learned about myself is between leaning into my faith, giving myself downtime and space, seeing more of creation – those are all very important. Those are my priorities in life.”
Goodwater Baptist Church is the family’s church home and Rachel still attends. “There is so much history and sentimental value at Goodwater. I like to help with vacation Bible school. It’s a place I can serve some as well as have eating meetings, and get to spend time with people I’ve known my whole life.”
While the farming is work it has provided Rachel respite too. “Working in the garden has been very therapeutic and cathartic for me. It’s been a way that I can invest in land that I care about and I want to protect and I want to conserve. And let it provide for the community or churches.”
Hilltop Farms Fresh Cut Flowers has produced gladiolas, sunflowers, zinnias, cosmos and garden dahlias. Rachel will plant those flowers next season and hopes to add more including snapdragons and Shasta daisies. In addition she plans to add a greenhouse. And winter will be a season of rest.
“It has been a year of experimenting. We’ve learned a lot. It’s been very enjoyable and it’s done a lot for all of us. My mother worked as a florist and it’s something she’s always enjoyed. She would do flowers for church. It’s been such a blessing to watch her really enjoy making the arrangements. It’s been good for Dad too, to be out here using his mind, his knowledge, physically getting out and moving. He might be a little sore every now and then but it has been good for him; it’s been good for all of us to do as a team. I’m blessed to be able to have a team to do it with. It’s made it much more doable and much more enjoyable and successful I think,” said Rachel.
A large part of the reason for coming home is her brother Adam, who died in 2008 from brain cancer complications. “We were lucky to have him as long as we did,” Rachel commented. “When I was really struggling I had my brother’s Bible. It’s something I’ve had, carried with me and moved around with me. He didn’t write a lot in his Bible. But he wrote one or two things in the front. One of the last things he wrote in that Bible was along the lines of ‘think about the farm.’ When you’re struggling and my sibling’s been gone for so long and I can’t ask him, and I open up his Bible and he says ‘think about the farm’ – it allowed me to really start coming up with this plan and motivation. He was able to be a point of change, as if having a conversation. It helped me decide to come back here and help steward the land because he would have wanted that.”
