We are inspired by evidence that diversified, ecologically minded, organically guided agriculture is a sustainable model for the community, for the planet, and for the farmer. It is not easy. We are not perfect. We learn and evolve with each season.  We strive with our eyes open, nurtured by good food and grounded by the unknowable.

Soil

Soil is the heart of the farm, and the arbiter of our actions. We invest in our soil through luscious cover crops, diverse and extended crop rotations, minimizing soil disturbance, and by applying as much compost as we can afford. Investment in the soil is an investment in the future of our farm.

“The soil is the great connector of lives, the source and destination of all. It is the healer and restorer and resurrector, by which disease passes into health, age into youth, death into life. Without proper care for it we can have no community, because without proper care for it we can have no life.” — Wendell Berry

Disease, Pests & Weeds

Every farmer faces challenges. We choose to address these challenges proactively through preventative measures and controls. Crop rotations break pest cycles, cover crops and flowers provide habitat for beneficial insects, floating row covers establish physical barriers to pests, and vigorous, resilient crop varieties tolerate negative pressures.

Without the use of herbicide, our weed management strategy relies on fast action and long-term thinking. Weed management is most effective and least disruptive to our soil when tackled at the earliest stage of growth. A selection of hand hoes, and a flame-weeder are the basis of our weed management, and when used at the right time (timing is everything), and in the right sequence, weeds are not an insurmountable barrier to production. Weed control is THE single most labor-intensive (and expensive) cultural practice on the farm. ‘This year’s weed is a hundred year’s seed” goes the adage; we are constantly reminding ourselves that time spent now will save us time in the years ahead.

Seeds

Early each spring, regional seed farmers are celebrated as we flip with great admiration and anticipation through colorful catalogues. Buying regionally adapted, organic varieties connects our farm to a sustainable food system, supports other organic farms, and encourages resiliency within the Mountain West climate. We prioritize and wholeheartedly support seed farmers who maintain and improve open-pollinated varieties while focusing on flavor, beauty, and adaptive traits that harvest nutrient dense produce.