Who Are the 2 Coots and What Are We Doing Here?

Welcome to 2 Coots Ranch—We are Kim and Phil and we’re the two “old coots” who own this place, and we’re here to share a bit about who we are and how we ended up in this beautiful part of Tennessee living our country farming dreams.

First, a little background:

Phil’s journey has been a bit of a winding road. After serving in the military, he dabbled in construction, then got into the tech world by helping launch one of the first internet service providers in the metro Phoenix area. 

Then came retirement—and let’s be real, it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. So, what do you do when retirement stinks? You start a non-medical in-home care company (because why not?). We ran that business for 20 years, with about 200 employees. And after 50 years of marriage, we decided it was time to make the move we had always dreamed of: the countryside!

We spent years trying to make that country living thing happen. But life, as it does, had other plans—until, finally, after selling the care business, we realized there was nothing keeping us where we were. So, we packed up and moved to Tennessee. And guess what? We decided if we were going to make this move, we were going to do it right. We weren’t going to just sit around and relax; we were going to become ranchers—and that’s how 2 Coots Ranch was born.

It took us two years to find the right spot, but Phil was busy during that time, schooling himself on all things regenerative farming. He dove headfirst into the works of Greg Judy and Joel Salatin (yes, he’s read nearly everything they’ve written). And now we’re here, setting up a multi-enterprise farm that’s all about biodiversity and giving back to the land.

So here we are, 65 years young, “retired” (or not), and living the dream on this amazing ranch. And the name? Well, we’re the two “old coots” who own this ranch, —it’s an old country term for someone who’s not too old to still make things happen. If you’re still above ground, it’s never too late! It’s an inspirational story about starting over later in life, and we hope it gives you a little spark to chase your own dreams, no matter your age.

Check out our “About Us” video on YouTube! We share more of our story, and we’d love for you to be part of this journey with us:
Watch our story here!

Thank you for being part of the 2 Coots Ranch adventure. We can’t wait to share more of our farming, woodwork, and country living with you!