+ LIMITED DISTURBANCE

Tillage destroys soil structure. It is constantly tearing apart the “house” that nature builds to protect the living organisms in the soil that create natural soil fertility. Soil structure includes aggregates and pore spaces (openings that allow water to infiltrate the soil). The result of tillage is soil erosion, the wasting of a precious natural resource. We also never use synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, or fungicides.

+ SOIL ARMOR

Keeping the soil covered at all times is a critical step toward rebuilding soil health. Bare soil is an anomaly— nature always works to cover the soil. We plant cover crops and trees which provide a natural “coat of armor” that protects the soil from wind and water erosion while providing food and habitat for organisms, wildlife, and our livestock. These practices also prevent moisture evaporation and germination of weed seeds.

+ LIVING ROOTS

We plant cover crops and trees to maintain living roots in the soil for as long as possible throughout the year. Living roots are feeding soil biology by providing its basic food source: carbon. This biology, in turn, fuels the nutrient cycle that feeds plants.

+ DIVERSITY

Grasses, forbes, legumes, and trees all live and thrive in harmony with each other. Think of what each of these species has to offer. Some have shallow roots, some deep, some fibrous, some tap. Some are high-carbon, some are low-carbon, some are legumes. Each of them plays a role in maintaining soil health. Diversity enhances ecosystem function.

+ INTEGRATED ANIMALS

Nature doesn't function without animals. It's that simple. Integrating pasture-raised pigs onto our operation provides many benefits. The major benefit is that the grazing of plants stimulates the plants to pump more carbon into the soil. This enhances nutrient cycling by feeding biology. This also has a major, positive impact on climate change by cycling more carbon out of the atmosphere and putting it into the soil. Our goal is to have a healthy, functioning, diverse ecosystem on our farm; we provide a home and habitat for not only our pasture-raised pigs but also pollinators, predatory insects, earthworms, and all of the microscopic organisms in the soil.