Organic

We focus on creating a balanced farm ecosystem that promotes healthy plants and animals, while limiting our susceptibility to disease and pest pressure. That said, farming is inherently a practice of working with forces far outside of our control, like the climate! Extreme conditions often create environments favored by diseases and pests, so we sometimes support struggling plants with organically approved products while we ride out the heat waves and storms. We also make some of our own ferments as supplemental nutrition for our plants and animals. 

Biodynamic

Biodynamic agriculture is a system of working with all of the life cycles on the farm in order to optimize the quality of existence for all beings. We have found that biodynamic practices produce vibrant delicious food, while deepening our connection to the land. 

Using Biodynamic practices, we strive to create a closed loop on the farm. In the winter, the egg layer house is parked in a permanent yard that has a thick straw pack to collect the manure. In the spring, we windrow the straw pack and compost it. The sacrificial winter chicken yard then becomes the compost yard for the year. We also use the biodynamic calendar to help us organize our tasks in accordance with the greater atmospheric and cosmic conditions.

Animal Husbandry

We provide all of our animals with fresh grass, water, and food daily. We have focused on breeds that are resilient and that succeed on pasture, and we continue to refine these breeds over time as we raise our own replacement stock. When we interact with the animals, we practice low stress animal handling, focusing on keeping the animals and ourselves calm as we work. Our animals are an integral part of the farm ecosystem, providing fertility, pest management, and helping to improve this land. Their meat is a byproduct of their work that we are thankful to enjoy. 

Grassland Management 

We rotate the cows and the sheep to fresh pasture daily. By doing this, not only do we have better animal health, but we are witnessing the growth of more native perennial grasses, and hoping to create less erosion and to hold more water in our soils. By allowing the pastures to rest and for the plants to regrow and flower, we also provide habitat for pollinators and other wildlife. The chicken are rotated through the pastures and vegetable fields adding more fertility to them as well.

Water Conservation

We are fortunate to have several springs and ponds on the property. However we are conscious of the limits of our water sources and choose the amount of irrigated crops we grow and animals we raise accordingly. We are also grateful that we have access to accurate tools for measuring our water use.

Soil Health

From the first rain until about 2 weeks after the last, we keep the soil covered with cover crops and/or mulch. With the flooding that happens during the winter, we have found that our heavy clay soils benefit from aeration in the Spring and that spading works well. We do not till during winter or fall. Once the crops have been harvested our animals rotate through the fields to glean extra produce and insects, add fertility, and manage weeds. We also plant pollinator rows of flowers within the fields to attract beneficial insects.

Diversity

While the ranch was already host to a wide range of birds and other wildlife before we arrived, we’ve aimed to increase the multitude of plant and animal life by planting hedgerows and trees, as well as increasing the range of species and crops that we raise. We also seek to increase the diversity of uses of this land and the humans who get to enjoy it, from kids’ camps to birthday parties, ceremonies, workshops and more!