Murray Provine was a hard-charging businessman who built a successful company. He traveled, had a family and a home. Originally from Mississippi, he was based in Norcross. About 25 years ago, he and his wife, Angela (known to dancers in Habersham as Ms. A) looked all over the country and decided to make Habersham their home. They loved the atmosphere and the climate and the beauty of the rolling hills of Habersham. He located his business here and they settled in.
Fast forward to a few years ago, Provine received a diagnosis of prostate cancer, high blood pressure and Type II 
diabetes. It was time to make a change.
“Doctors told me that the diabetes would stay with me and cause more health problems. They prescribed medication and suggested I change my diet and get more exercise. These seemed like simple prescriptions but the medication caused other issues and it is difficult to find food that is not full of sugar and saturated fats,” notes Provine.
Used to doing research, Provine dived into research and one day a light came on, “the closer we can get to the way nature designed our foods the better it is for us to eat. In the effort to feed the masses our food production systems have modified nature and in some cases abandoned nature entirely.”
And so began the transformation from businessman to gentleman farmer. “I want to live long enough to be a problem for my children” chuckles Provine. He and Ms. A decided that the time had come to grow their own food and seek out health from the inside out, by nourishing their body with food they grew themselves. No chemicals, no antibiotics, no growth hormones…..so they began the process of turning a 110-acre farm into a study in sustainability.
Provine only wanted the best for his farm and set about doing extensive research and traveling to talk to experts in the field. He decided to start with pigs and cows. But he wanted to delve deeper and reclaim “the heritage breeds and the restoration of the genetics of our forefathers and the return to more natural methods or raising our livestock.”
His cows are pasture raised and are a cross between Red Angus and Hereford. The pigs are an old Irish breed, Gloustershire Old Spot. They rotate around the fields, Provine explains the sustainability of the rotation, and the importance of rebuilding the soil, with the rotation, they let nature take its course.
The fields are as green and lush as those that have been fertilized. At a certain point, the pigs are rotated into the woodlands on the farm where they 
forage on the acorns. So Panther Creek has grass-fed beef and timber-raised pork. (I took home some pork chops and simply cooked them on the stove, they were the best I had ever had. The fat was not greasy, the meat was tender and full of flavor.)
In the winter, Provine grows his own fodder in the barn to provide his animals with a year round, organic source of feed.
He has turned now to poultry and chose Barnvelder as the breed with which to work. Provine says the poultry is not quite there yet. He hopes to have eggs and chicken soon, but for now he is improving the flock. He has built his own chicken tractors and is using the chickens to help the soild and improve his garden. It took him 5 years to get his cows where he wanted them and he is committed to doing the same with his chickens.
He has partnered with a bee-keeper out of Tiger, Georgia, and is working on his produce gardens. This year he partnered with Linda Brookshire of Moonshadow Farms and has planted over 500 plants representing over 30 heirloom varieties. He wants to hear from others about plants that have healing properties and begin to propogate the best heritage varieties of plants with the dedication he has shown with his cows and pigs.
This dedication and intensity comes from the philosphy that made his company successful.
1. Produce a better product
2. Sell direct.
This year, Provine opened his farm to the public. His mission is to not only provide the best quality food from his farm, but to use it as an educational lab. He wants to have children out to see the farm and understand about food and nature. “Children need to know that eggs come out of a chicken’s rear end and not from a styrofoam carton in the grocery store. They need to know that the meat they eat comes from livestock who’s purpose is to provide their food. And, animals deserve respect and a quality of life in a wholesome environment.” He wants to have cooking and canning classes on site so people can learn how to prepare fresh and flavorful foods that go from season to season. Finally, he wants his working farm to be a lab to teach and experiment so that other small farmers can learn. “We don’t have all the answers, but we can learn together, share what we know,” says Provine.
By the way, Provine’s blood pressure is in check, his cancer is gone and his diabetes is under control.
To visit and buy some of Panther Creek Farm’s delicious meats, go to https://grassfed.us.com/our-farm. Another website is under construction. You can also call to arrange a visit to the farm.
4767 The Orchard Road
Clarkesville, GA 30523
(706) 499-9726
Photos by Berryvine Images https://berryvineimage.com/
