Growing Practices

Our growing practices surpass USDA organic standards for everything we produce – vegetables, chickens, eggs, beef, and hogs . Specific growing practices include the following:

• No chemicals of any kind are used on the farm – NEVER – not even in our household.
  
  
• All garden inputs including soil amendments and pest control meet or exceed USDA organic standards.
  
  
• Our land has been farmed non-chemically for 5 years. 2010 will be our 6th year on the current ground.
  
  
• Crop rotation and soil building are emphasized to continue building fertility. Healthy fertile soil = healthy great tasting food.
  
  
• All chickens grown on the farm receive a ration of healthy pasture, certified organic grain, no growth hormones, no antibiotics. They are always allowed to range freely with daily access to pasture.
  
  
• Beef cattle are grass-fed only and never receive grain. Grass-fed animals live a healthy life and produce meat that is more nutritious than confined feedlot beef.
  
  
• Hogs are given certified organic grain and receive the excess from our garden – vegetables, weeds, spent plants, etc.
  
  
• From our experience, hogs need plant matter just as much as any animal and will choose plants over grain if given the choice. They are allowed to root, run, romp and laze about as they please.

Pastured Laying Hens on Lush Pasture

Gentle growing practices allow earthworms to thrive. They in turn fertilize our soil.

The end product – healthy animals = healthy kids!