Abundance, not scarcity.....

We adhere to an additive rather than extractive philosophy of farming.  We believe that there is not a finite amount of biomass on the planet that needs to be hoarded and rationed but infinite potential to increase the amount of biomass and therefore energy available to animal and human life through conscientious biological stewardship.  The amazing process of solar energy being converted into plant biomass, which is then eaten by animals and converted into high quality protein, allows vast potential for abundance rather than scarcity.

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Carbon sequestration, soil building, and water conservation.....

At the core, we are soil farmers.  Our aim is to nurture the soil, because it nourishes everything else. That means we don't poison it with chemicals, but it also means that we care for it with animals.  The cattle and chickens put down nutrient-rich manure to build the soil and feed the vast microbiota who live in it.  As the cows graze the grass down, the roots shed some of their length in order to achieve a natural above-and-below-ground equilibrium.  Those shed roots then decompose and add organic matter to the soil.  Increased organic matter improves habitat for soil microorganisms which then improve plant health and nutrient bioavailability exponentially.  It also improves irrigation effectiveness and decreases water loss from run-off.  For every 1% increase in organic matter, the soil's water holding capacity increases 20,000 gallons per acre.  Another wonderful effect of managed grazing is that it actually sequesters a substantial amount of carbon.  In this process, the root decomposition caused by grazing sequesters atmospheric carbon collected by the leaves into the soil in a stable form.  

 

Cows, properly managed, are good for the environment!  

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Multi-speciation synergy and compost.....

During the winter months we keep the cows in a shelter where their manure is collected and combined with wood chips and other organic materials to make compost, which is then spread on the pastures in the spring.  The pigs are used as natural rototillers to stir the compost as it is decomposing.  

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Biomimicry, ecological awareness and harmony.....

We seek to mimic nature's patterns, not work against them.  In nature, birds follow herbivores. So we follow our cattle with chickens.  In nature, the soil stays covered with plant matter.  So we minimize tillage and we mulch like crazy.  Nature is cyclical.  So we follow the natural seasons of birthing and growing rather than manipulating our animals and plants to fit our productivity goals.  Our calves are born in the warm spring weather, just as they would be in the wild.  Our chickens lay fewer eggs in the winter.  We can't have pastured broilers in December.  Nature is symbiotic.  So we integrate all of our enterprises to work together in ways that are synergistically beneficial.  From using chickens to de-bug cow patties, to using cow patties to make compost to fertilize the pastures and garden, to using the pigs to stir the compost, to using the surplus from the gardens to feed the chickens and pigs.  It all works together in harmony to regenerate and perpetuate life.

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