About Good Manure
Spreading the Good Stuff
for Growing Brands
Good Manure was built on a simple truth: the Shenandoah Valley is full of incredible farms, rural businesses, and agritourism ventures. But too many of them don’t have the time, budget, or experience to market themselves the way they deserve. We offer creative and practical marketing support to help hardworking businesses get noticed, grow their audience, and build brands that last. Whether you need a logo, help with your website, or someone to bring your story to life, we’re here to roll up our sleeves and dig in.
Beliefs to Build On
We envision a thriving Virginia where small farms, rural ventures, and agritourism businesses are empowered to grow strong, deeply-rooted brands. At Good Manure, we make creative, practical marketing more accessible by nurturing sustainable growth through storytelling, strategy, and a strong sense of community.
Hard work over hype
We value the kind of work that doesn’t always make headlines. The steady, skilled, behind-the-scenes kind that keeps small businesses running.
Real stories over shiny slogans
You don’t need a marketing gimmick. You need your story told clearly, creatively, and truthfully so the right people pay attention.
Great results within reach
We bring high-quality marketing and design to the folks who usually get overlooked: rural businesses, small-budget side hustlers, and scrappy startups with something real to offer.
Marketing is personal, and so are we
We work alongside our clients as neighbors, not outsiders. We'll be there shoulder-to-shoulder with you asking questions, trading ideas, and figuring it out together. That’s where the good stuff happens.
Lauren Parker
Owner and head muck-slinger
I was raised on a small family farm in a paper-mill town where most folks either clocked in at the mill, worked for the schools or the government, or scratched out a living with whatever was at hand. I was drawn to the grit and creativity it took to carve out a livelihood in a place that didn’t always seem like it was built for chasing big dreams. But even as a kid, I noticed something: the people doing the most meaningful work rarely had the time (or the tools) to promote their businesses and share their own stories.
After more than 20 years in marketing, branding, creative strategy, and media production across the South, I made my way back to the Shenandoah Valley. My husband and I bought a small farm in Rockbridge County, packed up our two daughters, and decided it was time to dig in, literally and figuratively. That’s how Good Manure got its start: as a way to put what I’ve learned to work within my own community.
Over the years, I’ve helped build businesses from the ground up—leading brand identity development; content strategy, social media and storytelling efforts; launching new products; driving tourism and event marketing; and managing campaigns with budgets both big and small. I’ve worked with scrappy startups, hometown nonprofits, and global companies alike, always bringing the same approach: thoughtful strategy, hands-on creativity, and a deep respect for the people behind the work.
At the heart of it all is a belief that good marketing doesn’t need to be flashy. It just needs to be honest, useful, and rooted in what makes each brand truly great.
I’m certified in strategic and digital marketing, advanced SEO, and public and media relations. I’ve spent decades behind the camera as an internationally award-winning photographer and many late nights in the dim glow of small-town newsrooms cranking out copy. I also know how to hoe a row, kid around with goats, and live by my mammaw’s constant refrain: “Make yourself useful as well as ornamental.”
Good Manure is where all of that comes together: experience, creativity, and a desire to help small, value-driven local businesses thrive.
If you’re building something meaningful and want marketing that works without the ego, let’s talk.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Fine Arts
Advanced Certifications:
- Cornell University | Integrated Marketing 360; Digital Marketing; Marketing Analytics
- University of Colorado Boulder | Public Relations and the Media Specialization
- University of California, Davis | Advanced Content and Social Tactics to Optimize SEO Advanced SEO; Google SEO
- Google | Digital Marketing and E-Commerce
Support from the Ground Up
Good Manure provides free, low-cost, and barter-based marketing support for small farms, rural ventures, and agritourism businesses across the Shenandoah Valley. From branding and websites to photography, content, and strategy, every project is tailored to your goals. We don’t try to force you into a one-size-fits-all mold.
We only work with a few clients at a time to ensure each one gets our full attention, down-to-earth advice, and thoughtful, hands-on care. No jargon. No pressure. No big-agency fluff. Just clear, effective work that helps your business get seen and grow on your own terms.