From Blank Land to Elderberry Dreams
It takes vision to plant elderberry cuttings in the snow—and even more to prepare for the three to five years it takes before those plants truly bear fruit. But for Julianne Hemphill, that kind of long-term thinking is exactly what building a farm—and a new life—is all about.
Julianne Hemphill never set out to become a farmer. But when her family purchased raw land in a rural area of Missouri outside of the Kansas City metro—with no electricity, no water, and no plan—she knew one thing for sure: They needed a way out of the suburban sprawl, and into a life that aligned with their values.
That was the beginning of Twilight Grove, Julianne’s budding elderberry farm and future home for her family’s next chapter. With two high schoolers still finishing school in the city, the move to full-time rural living is a few years away, but the work has already begun.
“Right now, we’re doing everything from scratch,” Julianne says. “We finally got a well in, we’re setting up solar power and irrigation, and we’re slowly building the systems we’ll need to grow.”
Her crop of choice? Elderberries and elderflowers—a niche, perennial crop that’s gaining ground in Missouri, thanks to its health benefits and value-added potential. But it’s also a crop that takes three to five years to reach maturity.
Instead of waiting passively, Julianne is making every moment count: earning food safety certifications, exploring product development, launching an LLC, and connecting with other growers and mentors.
That’s where New Growth came in.
A Door Opens at Farm to Fork
Julianne first discovered New Growth through the 2025 Farm to Fork Summit in Nevada, Missouri. Encouraged by Kimberly Beer, a speaker at a Mid-Continent Public Library event, she signed up. That decision became a turning point.
“Farm to Fork was where I really got connected to resources,” she says. “I learned about the Women’s Business Center, the Farmer to Farmer meetings, and met other people who understood what it’s like to build a farm business from the ground up.”
Through New Growth, Julianne received a mini-scholarship to attend the 2025 International Elderberry Symposium in Columbia, Missouri, an event that proved transformative.
“It was incredible,” she says. “I talked to dozens of farmers, processors, and researchers. I came home with science-backed insight into everything from pest management to market trends. But even more valuable was connecting with people who had decades of experience farming elderberries.”
The connections she made are already influencing the future of Twilight Grove. She’s now thinking more strategically about organic certification, product development, and long-term expansion. She’s also paying it forward by sharing what she learns through her blog, grovelife.substack.com, documenting the challenges and victories of life on a start-up farm.
Building More Than a Business
Julianne’s vision goes beyond farming; it’s about creating a new way of life. Her husband, currently working in healthcare IT, hopes to join her full-time in operating their business on the farm. Together, they dream of trading gridlock for open skies and city noise for the quiet rhythm of growing things.
“We’re hoping this farm becomes our escape from the chaos,” Julianne says. “We want to live outdoors, pursue meaningful work, and build something lasting.”
New Growth continues to be part of that journey, connecting Julianne to funding and financing options, peer networks, and business assistance as she lays the foundation for her business. It’s support she didn’t always know existed.
“Finding out what’s out there isn’t easy,” she says. “New Growth helped me discover the resources I needed to get started, and I’m trying to share those with others, too.”
Rooted in Opportunity
Julianne’s story is still unfolding. Her elderberries are young, her commercial kitchen plans are taking shape, and her product line—soaps, cosmetics, and eventually elderberry & elderflower products—is beginning to sprout.
What she’s already growing, though, is something just as important: knowledge, confidence, and a deep sense of connection to a community of growers, entrepreneurs, and allies.
At New Growth, we’re proud to be a part of Julianne’s journey—because helping build a business is also helping build a local economy.
As Twilight Grove grows, it’s not just producing elderberries. It’s creating opportunity, adding value to rural land, and becoming part of a network of businesses that strengthen rural Missouri. We believe that every farm, every product, and every entrepreneur has the potential to shape not just their future—but the future of their community.
And we can’t wait to see what blossoms next at Twilight Grove.