Our Farming Practices
We aim to produce the highest quality food possible, and that starts with healthy soil. We use regenerative, soil building practices that strengthen the land we steward. In return our garden and pastures produce nutrient dense food that we are proud to stand behind (literally, at the farmers market).
In the Pasture
ANIMAL HEALTH
All of our poultry is pasture-raised, that means our chickens (egg-layers and broilers) and turkeys can express their natural instincts in the purest environment possible. They are raised from day-old chicks/poults on deep bedding in our brooders which gives them an excellent immune boosting start to their life. Once on pasture they soak in the sun, breath fresh air and always have fresh grass to forage in. Because of that our birds do not require vaccinations or antibiotics to stay healthy; their living conditions give them no choice but to thrive.
PASTURE MANAGEMENT
We move our poultry strategically across pasture to fertilize the ground evenly, and give the soil what it needs to grow healthy green forage. We use electric fencing (for egg-layers and turkeys) and portable chicken tractors (for broilers) to accomplish this. This system gives the pasture plenty of time to recover, and keeps our birds on fresh grass 100% of the time.
DIET
Our birds eat plants and insects in the pasture, get plenty of garden scraps, and are supplemented with locally grown and milled non-GMO feed, comprised of whole grains, legumes, and premium minerals. This gives them all the nutrients they need to be healthy. Because of their diet, our eggs have deep orange yolks and our broilers and turkeys produce tender, flavorful, nutrient-dense meat.
ON-FARM PROCESSING
In our efforts to farm sustainably and keep everything on-farm, we choose to process our own poultry. We control the entire process from day-old chicks to meat in the freezer. This connection with what we produce is well-worth the extra work, and you can trust that your food has never left our farm.
In The Garden
In our market garden we work to create a sustainable, balanced ecosystem that requires minimal inputs and absolutely no pesticides. We grow intensively on a human scale, without the need for heavy equipment.
We focus on three soil health principles; minimal disturbance, keeping the soil planted, and keeping the soil covered. We work the soil with low disturbance tools to avoid tillage, and invest in soil health by planting cover crops, rotating cash crops and leaving roots in the ground. We keep the soil covered with wood chip mulch, organic compost and cover crop residue. This suppresses weeds, regulates moisture and temperature, adds life and organic matter, and minimizes erosion.
Over time these practices have built the fertile garden we work in today, and we’re thrilled to share its fruits (and vegetables) with you!
