It all started when…

In 1967 Andrew Bird purchased an overgrown 105 acre dairy and tobacco farm on the Louisville-Crab Orchard Turnpike in southern Anderson County, Kentucky. The farm was part of the McBrayer Estate which dated to the early settlement at Ft. Harrod.  Neither he nor his wife Mary Loyce realized she was also just pregnant with who would become their first child, David. Andrew had grown up on a farm in Edmonson County, Kentucky and answer his country’s call to arms in 1942 as a senior in high school. After the war, he finished high school and completed college at Western State Teacher’s College (now Western Kentucky University) where he met Mary Loyce Cox, who had been born on a farm in Allen County, Kentucky. Married in 1951 they pursued careers in education, being called to Anderson County in 1961 to assume the duties of superintendent of schools. But the call of the land was always close to them.

After having cleaned up the farm, built fences, and installed ponds for stock water as well as aquiring additional land holdings in other counties the farm was converted to beef cattle and tobacco with enough hay to support the farm’s livestock. In 1976 Andrew (Andy to his friends) bought the first round baler in Anderson County. Over the years, neighbors began to call on him and his son, David Andrew to custom round bale their hay. This custom hay business grew throughout David’s years in high school as did  the cattle and cattle feeding business. Astute and interested in farming David pursued a model of receiving payment in shares of hay, mixing the hay with wet distillers grains from local bourbon distilleries, and feeding thin cows purchased each fall through their then named A & D Bird Feeder Cattle.

In 1987 the business split into two operations.  This remained as such until David returned to the Anderson County farm in 2007 following a debilitating farming accident. His son, Robert Andrew could be found on weekends with his dad, fishing, learning to drive trucks and bulldozers, checking cows, and once was even seen with a near frozen baby calf in the bathtub. It was during this time the farm began purchasing hay from local farmers for resale and began to market hay to the equine industry and to board horses. In 2009 Mary Loyce suffered a traumatic brain injury. Andrew and David both were committed to ensuring her wish to be able to remain at home, surrounded by her quilts and cats until the end. Late that year, Andrew unexpectedly passed away.

Faced with a need to return the farm to profitability and his own physical limitations post accident, David reorganized the farm as Bird Farms Inc and hired a professional management team. The farm began to focus on nation wide hay sales for the equine market. Noah Pruitt, Andrew and Mary’s nephew, came on board as chief operating officer.

As part of the continuing evolution of this family farm divisions were added for construction, logistics, farming, and equestrian. Reflecting continuing growth and expansion the operation was again divided into Bird, Pruitt, and Associates LLC and Thorncrest Group of which Thorncrest Farm (a division of Bird Farms Inc) is a part.

Thorncrest Farm (named after the summit which is a defining feature of the farm, from the crest of Hawthorn Road) is a diversified family farm located in the heart of Kentucky’s horse country and located directly on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Presently the farm produces premium hay for the equine industry, select grains for the distilling industry, beef cattle, and offers all breed equine boarding services.

Here at Thorncrest we are all about family (our family of birth and of choice) and heritage. The main farmhouse sits on the site of the original McBrayer cabin, predating Kentucky’s entry into the United States and is built around the 1852 plantation house. Springs on the farm yield limestone rich water which was used by both Union infantry and Confederate cavalry during the civil war. Saddlebred horses raised here were likewise used as cavalry mounts for both sides during the war.

We are excited to partner with Kentucky Proud to showcase our products. We currently market our premium hay and equestrian services directly to the consumer at our Anderson County base of operations. Our select non GMO grains are sold to a nearby vendor for use in the distilling industry and our cattle marketed through a nearby auction. Future plans call for utilizing our heritage, resources, and know-how to begin offering custom beef marketing based on Charolais and Angus genetics fed a ‘bourbon cake blend’, a spirits line, and specialty livestock feeds. All locally produced, locally sourced, and Kentucky Proud direct from our farm to your table. Keep in touch, we are on the move.