Freezing winds blow snow but in the cozy hoophouse we’re happy and warm -Derrin and his sheep With the passing of Thanksgiving we celebrate the end of our 4th year as Shelterbelt Farm. And so far our best one! With each year we get more infrastructure in place, restore more brush to pasture, and get … More Hoophouse Haiku + End of our 4th Year
The livestock and farmers at Shelterbelt Farm can sleep a little easier at night knowing that Derin is here to protect them. Derin is a 2.5-year-old Akbash dog who has been guarding poultry in Virginia. Akbash and other types of guard dogs–the most common are Great Pyrhenes and Maremmas–have been bred for the purposes of … More Predators Beware
According to the calendar, Spring is here. Those of you living in warmer microclimates (like just 15 min. away in downtown Ithaca) may even be seeing all kinds of signs to corroborate the calendar’s claims. But here at Shelterbelt, we’re in that seasonal purgatory where there’s still little to show for the transition to Spring … More Mud Season
There’s still a lot of snow up here in the hills of Caroline, but who’s complaining? I can see bare ground in most places, and where there’s bare ground there will soon be grass, and flowers, and LIFE! The daffodils have poked their heads proudly up through the chilly soil to announce that Spring is … More Daffodil harbingers
Gone are the days of parking by the side of the road and wading through waist-high goldenrod and wild raspberry when we visit our farm land. We now have a home base there: a driveway, pond, and the beginnings of a multi-purpose barn/apartment/workshop building. Nearly 16 months ago we salvaged a hemlock timber frame from … More Visible Progress
It’s been a while since our last update. We had a major scramble as the trees, bees, and chicks all arrived around the same time (who planned that, anyway??) and of course, finishing the chickens’ pasture shelters took about three times longer than we thought it would. But the trees are in the ground – … More Off and running
We’ve got a few seeds in the ground, and a few flats started indoors. We’ve planted some trees (for shelterbelts, of course) and have delighted in the spring flowers and the fact that our hens are laying more regularly now. But in 17 days, our farm season will really get off the ground with the … More Countdown to critter arrival
Shelterbelt Farm 