Farmer Q and A

What triggered a start or shift towards regenerative farming practices?

Concern for a future in agriculture and realizing that the only opportunity in grass based production was truly regenerative agriculture. If we didn't heal the land and stop fighting nature. It was only a matter of time before our farm would fail. Also health issues started our journey into clean eating and nutrient rich food.

Why is it important to you that consumers have a trusted food source?

Because when we first changed the way we ate (or tried too) we found out at times that we were getting greenwashed and we wanted to offer families the confidence and peace of mind that that wasn't happening to them.

What type, breed, and class of livestock do you raise?

Red Angus cattle (cow calf to finish) Painted Desert hair sheep (ewe to finish), Pasture Raised Broiler chickens chick to finish. For a chicken breed we use old cornish cobb genetics that don't have to have artificial light and can (if they escape) actually live wild. Haha that happened this year.

What kind of forages do you raise?

Perrenial pasture, Fescue, Orchardgrass, timothy, ryegrass, red and white clover, gama grass and lots more.

Can you talk about the life cycle of an animal on your farm?

Our sheep and cattle are born on pasture at seasonally appropriate times (no winter calves or lambs) and will spend their entire lives on it until they are ethically harvested. Our chickens arrive (via delivery truck - no mail order chicks) and are put in a toasty warm green house with wood shavings and peat moss until they are 2-4 weeks old (depending on weather we just want them to have grown their feathers out. Then they are moved out to pasture to our portable green house shelters where they are continually rotated onto fresh pasture for the rest of their lives.

Can you talk about the seasonal changes for animals on your farm?

We are blessed with a mild climate and so our cattle and sheep stay on pasture year around and typically have some green grass to eat even in January and February. We don't raise any chickens for the 3 coldest months of the year but otherwise little changes in terms of housing. Lambs are born in the lush warm grass of May and Calves in the crisp but pleasant fall.

Can you describe any steps you take to proactively ensure the health of your animals?

If you have a healthy soil, you will have healthy plants. Healthy plants lead to healthy animals. Also by raising and birthing our animals seasonally we avoid much sickness that is common in conventional agriculture. Not to mention the health benefit of living their lives on pasture instead of feedlots and confinement houses.