Of all the strategies farmers could employ to both sequester carbon AND shield their farms from climate-changed-induced weather chaos, what do you think is at the top of the list? I’ll give you a hint: it involves livestock, pasture, and trees. But wait, aren’t livestock one of the big contributors to climate change? That’s a … More Trees, Glorious Trees
When I can no longer see my counter through the piles of apples, peppers, and tomatoes, and I’ve stubbed my toe at least twice on the canning pot that is parked for a few months on my kitchen floor, I think about how we’re not so different from wild animals. Putting up food for the … More Squirrel Mode, aka Winter Feed Math
Our cows and sheep celebrated First Grazing Day in early May, their favorite day of the year, when they get their first taste of lush forage. I can tell it’s their favorite day by how animated they are. They leap in the air, kick their legs, and dash across the pasture with joyful abandon. I’m … More Deadly Pastures
My pig-headedness (I prefer to call it persistence) has been a useful life trait in some ways: it supplies me with energy to carry on when all signs suggest I should have stopped miles ago. But it can also get me into trouble, as when I set my sights on something that is not actually … More From Pie-in-the-Sky to Pragmatic
Believe it or not, I actually love winter. But by March I grow antsy, and I start fantasizing about the growing season. So here’s a post to fuel that longing for green: We aim to have diverse, lush pastures fed by healthy, well-balanced soils. But that’s mostly not what we have, yet. As we use … More Using Pigs to Regenerate Diverse Pastures
Night temperatures have been dropping into the 20’s, and we got 5 inches of snow last Sunday, April 22nd. So it feels like February. But the sun is setting around 8pm and there are leaves on most of the trees. April? Talk about confusing! We’re not sure what to make of it all, but despite … More Spring Pushes Ahead Despite Weather Chaos
150 baby chicks are happily peeping away in our new light-filled brooder house. In short order they’ll be joined on pasture by guard geese, more chicks, pigs, turkeys, and bees! We’re grateful for the return to cooler temperatures, as it’s slowed the season down a bit. We weren’t ready for summer in March! We’ll have … More Kicking Off Our Farm Season
We bought our abandoned, thin-soiled, poorly-drained acreage not for its value as farmland, but for its proximity to a community of people we love. Now we are faced with the daunting task of getting it to be productive enough to support a farm business. I confess I occasionally feel pangs of envy for farmer friends … More Growing Soil as Our Primary Crop
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
Shelterbelt Farm 