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october/noveMber 2013 Macon Magazine i 47 For over 100 years, Stifel has been providing information to large and small investors to help them better understand the potential rewards of various investments. Stifel is never too busy to help you become a More Knowledgeable Investor. Choose Stifel: We think you'll like it here. What Lies On Your Horizon? (478) 746-6262 | (800) 735-1522 300 Mulberry Street, Suite 101 Macon, Georgia 31201 Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated | Member SIPC & NYSE | www.stifel.com animals in their spacious backyard for pleasure and sustenance. "My husband's all about farm to table," Dantzler said, referring to the growing movement of consumers demanding food transparency every step of the way between pasture and plate. "He and I started talking about (supermarket) eggs, and how much better they should be, and that's what got us started raising our own animals." In the process of feeding and freshening waterers in the converted stable that houses her flock, Dantzler scanned the grassy zones of her yard, and explained her vision. "I'd really like to run broiler chickens over there, and maybe even a pig too." Her husband would like to add milk goats, but Dantlzer isn't sure their children will drink it as readily as cow's milk. The couple does agree on the main point: They would like to produce as much of their food as possible on their own land. Jeff Buller and his wife, Melody, had similar dreams, and channeled that energy into starting Selah Farm (Hebrew for "pause and reflect" or "stop and think") two years ago. The couple sell a wide range of homegrown products at both the Mulberry and Wesleyan farmers markets in Macon. Jeff recently branched out into constructing movable chicken coops for backyard chicken owners. Unlike expansive and often bulky coops from catalogues and online retailers, Buller strives to keep costs low by using recycled materials and focusing on lightweight but sturdy designs. "The benefit is that the birds are protected," he said of his coop design for one of his regular market customers, "and they have access to fresh grass, bugs and ground to scratch in." Using lessons learned by raising pastured poultry on his farm, Buller's designs emphasize mobility and protection, and gives his locavore customers a venue for locally sourced coops. "You don't have to spend a lot of money on a coop," said Barbara Fischer, who is one of Buller's customers. For her -- and others like her -- home food production is as much about economy as it is about superior food. "I've actually seen coops online, and we're talking over $1,000. No, no, I would never recoup that with two chickens," she said with a smile.