Farmhouse Kitchen, June 2026
Summertime means family time around Jacob and Aisling Walding’s Dale County farm.
Along with tending livestock, picking vegetables or firing up the grill, Jacob and Aisling enjoy slow evenings on the patio, sharing home-cooked meals and spending time with their 5-month-old daughter, Emma.
“What we cook in the summer is fun,” said Aisling, assistant director of Sweet Grown Alabama. “A lot of the ingredients we use we grew or raised ourselves, or it’s from another Sweet Grown Alabama member. Everything we can eat in the summer, we get local. We enjoy spending time in the kitchen with Jacob’s family.”
Jacob and Aisling met through mutual friends while Aisling studied agricultural communications at Auburn University. Upon graduation, she began working for the state’s agricultural branding program, Sweet Grown Alabama, while Jacob focused on growing the farm. They married in 2023.
“I always knew I wanted to communicate the importance of agriculture to the public,” Aisling said. “There is no greater feeling than helping a farmer make a sale or improve their marketing plan. As a farmer myself, I can connect with Sweet Grown Alabama members and understand where they are coming from.”
The Waldings raise cattle, grow hay and manage commercial poultry houses in Ozark with Jacob’s dad, Bill. They also sell freezer beef, plus pork, under the Walding Cattle banner.
“It means so much having Aisling, who is from Georgia, come to my hometown and for us to create our family here,” said Jacob, the Dale County Cattlemen’s Association president. “Having Emma along with us makes it all worth it. It’s my turn to carry on the next generation.”
As Jacob prepares to celebrate his first Father’s Day this June, Aisling reflects on his unwavering support as the leader of their home.
“We couldn’t do anything without Jacob,” Aisling said. “Watching him step into this role as a dad — it feels like he’s always had it in him. Seeing the young guy I met in college now carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders and keeping us afloat is special.”
Jacob said watching Emma grow up like he did is something he will cherish.
“My goal isn’t to have the biggest farm or make the most money,” he said. “It’s to get the farm to a point where the next generation can steward it. My goal is that Emma can come back if she wants.”