What Sustainability Means to Us
Sustainability means striking an equal balance between social, environmental, and economic conditions to allow a system to maintain itself. This is often described as the sustainability triangle, and on every farm, that looks different. On our farm, we strive to meet our sustainability goals for each corner of the triangle in the following ways:
Social
We first and foremost seek to keep Christ at the head of our family and farming operation. At times, this means activities, practices, and events that we participate in may not make economic sense, but they allow us to balance our love for people with our growing operation. We believe that Jesus is the provider of all things—all money, all possessions, all abilities, all opportunities, and all growth. We rely on Him to grow our farm and not ourselves. We give Him the glory for everything He has done and continues to do here. This understanding informs our desire to be completely honest and transparent in how we raise our animals and make our products. It also pushes us to do everything to the highest quality possible in an effort to serve our customers, their families, and our community. This includes mentoring other farmers, giving our first fruits, and sharing our faith. “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” - 1 Corinthians 10:31
Environmental
On our farm, we have implemented a variety of practices to reduce our environmental impact. We practice intensive rotational grazing during the growing season and remove our sheep from sensitive lands to allow for rest and regeneration. Our pastures include a great diversity of plant species and are all bordered by trees to provide shade and shelter for our animals. We flash graze hay fields to remove the weeds prior to cutting and our waterways and ponds to control growth but limit negative impacts on these sensitive areas. We also graze crop residue from neighboring fields in a cooperative effort to clean up excess while providing feed for our animals without cost. We compost all manures and wool seconds and spread them back onto pastures to return the nutrients to the soil. At all times, our animals have access to a custom mineral designed for grazing sheep and when on feed in addition to forage, they eat a custom blend that utilizes regional-specific by-products. Our farm also utilizes FAMACHA deworming techniques and our primary dewormer is an approved organic. Together, these practices minimize our environmental footprint while maximizing our economic opportunities.
Economic
One of our goals for our farm is to diversify our products and income streams to make our farm as sustainable as possible. This includes selling breeding stock for NSIP, registered, and commercial flocks; selling retail lamb and mutton directly to consumers; selling lambs to local markets; and utilizing wool, which is often a worthless by-product, by selling raw fleeces, hand-processing into a variety of products, and sending wool to local mills for roving and yarn. Our participation in this diverse marketplace has allowed us to make many friendships with other farmers, local makers, fiber artists, vendors, event organizers, market managers, meat and wool processors, and of course, our customers. These relationships have led to product partnerships and development that strengthen all parties and our community as a whole.
Together, these social, environmental, and economic practices help ensure that our farm continues to operate in a way that maximizes all the opportunities that God has given us. We recognize that you are a crucial part of this journey, and we thank you for coming along beside us in our desire to provide excellent local food and fiber to your family.