Carved out of land settled in the 1800s by German immigrants it was purchased in 1999 from the original descendants. This magical land is graced with old growth hardwood forests and open fields that provide grazing and forage together with populations of native insects and animals alike. Each play an important role in the biodiversity of the soil and our ecosystem. A 5 acre parcel was carved out I
n 2007. Fenced and irrigated with well water we set out to grow seasonal and perennial food crops using organic and regenerative farming practices. We continue to do so today. Through our successes and our failures we've grown up and learned much, each new spring acting on lessons culled from previous seasons successes and failures we learn to adapt and respond to managing weeds, pests and the mounting uncertainty of climate change. High tunnels on the field extend our growing season and add some protection against extreme weather disruptions. Solarizing the fallow fields with giant tarps mitigates weeds and disrupt the lifecycles of pests that overwinter in the soil, minimizing the need to till and disrupt the soil. cover crops are planted and allowed to die back, ultimately building up the soils organic matter.
