Under the watchful eye of their Amish instructor Terry (left) takes a team back to the barn after an afternoon of baling hay, while Mark angles two-up into position to hitch a forecart.

Terry Taylor-Allen and Mark Allen have lived in Charlotte, NC for nearly 30 years. They met at Eastern Kentucky University, and married on a farm nestled among the Kentucky foothills.  Armed with the perspective of extensive careers addressing diverse energy, environmental and sustainability issues, Terry and Mark launched The Sustainable Stall. The venture unites their mutual passion: reviving the role of horse power to make North Carolina’s local food system more resilient.

A Mission Long in the Making

Their Kentucky time in many ways set the stage for The Sustainable Stall. Terry secured degrees in journalism and environmental engineering technology. Mark took two degrees, the first in biology and another in wildlife management. Terry engaged early with food system reform, as she launched a local food co-op and then moved on to board service with the Federation of Ohio River Cooperatives, a non-profit that trucked organic foods to rural mountain communities in Appalachia. Meanwhile Mark was working with a veterinary practice, trekking Kentucky’s famed bluegrass attending to temperamental race horses. Mark has worked extensively in the stormwater management field (including  water management systems for equestrian facilities), while Terry is a freelance writer.  Together they are pulling the resources into place for The Sustainable Stall.