Our Values
Animals deserve our devoted care, kindness and appreciation. They should experience a happy life. Even that "one bad day" should be free from fear and pain.
As stewards of the land we should leave it in better condition than we found it. Balance, not optimization, is the goal. We work with the natural biological systems of our unique climate and environment.
Humane Animal Husbandry
All animals, including those intended for food, deserve kind and respectful treatment. They should have plenty of room to roam and buddies to share it with. And they should be able to experience natural behaviors and live a happy life.
Our farm grew from a desire to raise happy and healthy animals for ourselves in order to continue being able to eat meat and not condone the horrible treatment of factory farm raised animals. Our animals are raised with respect and care for their mental as well as physical health. They are totally free range or in large pastures where they can do what comes naturally. They live with others of their kind and have busy social lives. Mothers raise their babies and social groups are maintained when animals need to be segregated.
We also believe in respect and harmony with the local wildlife. We encourage populations of deer, quail, turkey and pheasants. Even predators like hawks are welcome neighbors and a benefit to the farm. We leave wildlife trails accessible to the local coyotes so they have safe paths to travel well away from our livestock. We use two types of livestock guardian dogs to tailor protection to our different species and we have taught the sheep, goats and poultry to "heft", or come in at night to safe areas, so as to minimize encounters with predators.
Heritage Breeds
Heritage livestock breeds are the type of livestock bred on farms before industrial agriculture started putting animals in CAFOs. Heritage breeds were localized and bred to develop traits that fit their specific environment. They exhibit desirable traits in smaller sustainable farms such as grazing and foraging on the local plants, ease of breeding and birthing, mothering instinct, and disease and parasite resistance. Some breeds were developed for cold climates while others were developed for hot climates. Matching an animal's bred-in nature to the environment begets a happier and healthier animal. And a lot less work, stress and cost for a farmer. For more about heritage breed livestock visit the Livestock Conservancy website.
Natural Feeds
Each species evolved to eat a certain type of food and are happiest and healthiest eating that food. Animals should never be forced to eat contrived mixtures that contain ingredients their bodies were not intended to digest. A natural diet includes a lot of grass and legumes, grains for some non-ruminent species (like pigs and poultry), and no GMOs. It means no subtherapeutic anti-biotics and no growth hormones.
Our land provides a major component of our animal's diets. In some cases it is the vast majority of their diet and as such the care of our land and the grasses and crops grown on it are vitally important. We do not use chemicals of any type on our land - no pesticides, no herbicides and no chemical fertilizers. Our animals provide all the bug and weed control we need and pay the land back with their manure.