This week I had the opportunity to attend an event called the Local foods & Healthy Landscapes seminar in Lacombe. Joel Salatin was the guest speaker and he provided a wonderful slideshow of his farm..how it is operated, and how it has become so successful and well-known for producing healthy and ethical grass fed beef, pork and poultry.
Joel is a second generation farmer in the Shenandoa Valley in Virginia. He described how the landscape was at the time the first European settlers arrived in the area: "The grass grew so tall they would ride through it on horseback, bringing up the tips of grass to tie together over their saddles." But by the time his father bought this land (1962, I think he said) it was in a sad state, eroded to the point of bare rock - there was not even enough soil to pound in stakes for electric fences.
There was a lot of healing needed on this land, and this is Joel's mission. He now calls his farm Polyface Farm, and he raises beef cattle, chickens, turkeys, rabbits and pigs. He uses a strategy of rotational pastures following nature's pattern of large grazing animals followed by birds (laying hens, broilers and turkeys). The poultry are housed in large portable coops, with electric poultry netting and several livestock guardian dogs to keep them safe. After the cattle have moved through an area, the chickens follow behind. They scratch and spread the manure and devour the insect larva...a natural form of bug control! Moving his livestock every day keeps the grassland healthy and diverse and allows the soil to rebuild free of potentially harmful chemicals. Meat from the farm is sold by direct-marketing right off the farm as well as trucking to many nearby restaurants.
Joel has a real gift for speaking! He is energetic, funny and inspiring. If you get a chance to attend a conference to hear him in person, I strongly encourage you to attend.
He also been featured in documentaries such as "Fresh, the movie" and has written several books including "Folks, This Ain't Normal: A Farmer's Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World"
Joel is a second generation farmer in the Shenandoa Valley in Virginia. He described how the landscape was at the time the first European settlers arrived in the area: "The grass grew so tall they would ride through it on horseback, bringing up the tips of grass to tie together over their saddles." But by the time his father bought this land (1962, I think he said) it was in a sad state, eroded to the point of bare rock - there was not even enough soil to pound in stakes for electric fences.
There was a lot of healing needed on this land, and this is Joel's mission. He now calls his farm Polyface Farm, and he raises beef cattle, chickens, turkeys, rabbits and pigs. He uses a strategy of rotational pastures following nature's pattern of large grazing animals followed by birds (laying hens, broilers and turkeys). The poultry are housed in large portable coops, with electric poultry netting and several livestock guardian dogs to keep them safe. After the cattle have moved through an area, the chickens follow behind. They scratch and spread the manure and devour the insect larva...a natural form of bug control! Moving his livestock every day keeps the grassland healthy and diverse and allows the soil to rebuild free of potentially harmful chemicals. Meat from the farm is sold by direct-marketing right off the farm as well as trucking to many nearby restaurants.
Joel has a real gift for speaking! He is energetic, funny and inspiring. If you get a chance to attend a conference to hear him in person, I strongly encourage you to attend.
He also been featured in documentaries such as "Fresh, the movie" and has written several books including "Folks, This Ain't Normal: A Farmer's Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World"
