Our agricultural philosophy is inspired by great farmers and thinkers such as Joel Salatin, Greg Judy, Allan Savory and Wendell Berry. The first premise is that livestock belong on open pasture. However, without proper management, even the prettiest pasture will become run down by the animals themselves: their weight and manure can quickly burn up an area that was once lush and green. Therefore, we rely on rotational grazing methods to ensure that our soil and grasses stay in good health. Our animals are moved to a fresh paddock every day, allowing the pasture that is behind them to rest for several months before they return to it.
Different species require different diets. Our omnivorous feathered friends require grain to produce eggs and build muscle. All of the grain we use for our chicken and ducks is Non GMO Project Verified and contains expeller pressed oils (instead of chemical solvent extraction with hexane) and is grown in Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama. Each species provides different nutrients to the soil, which is why we keep an array of animals on our farm and allow them to exist symbiotically rather than raising a monoculture of one species. Our farm is also our home: we strive to do our part as the stewards of the land we live on and the animals that we care for each day. The whole operation is built on relationship, or the science of relations between species and soil.
Our business philosophy runs along similar lines, in which we take a relationship-based approach to our business growth. Building and maintaining healthy relationships with our customers and with other farmers is the most fulfilling work that we do. We request customer feedback as often as possible. We strive to create a community with other folks who care about food origins. We enjoy the company and craftsmanship of other hard-working Florida farmers and joyfully promote their products alongside our own.
We don't list an item on our site unless we have taken the time to ensure that it meets our standards of quality. Words lose meaning all too easily, so we know better than to rely on terms like "free range" or "heritage" without actually ensuring that humane farming practices are being employed. We would encourage our customers to ask questions about the products that they are buying. It is never wise to shop based on labels alone.
Some might call it idealistic, but our goal is to return to a slower-paced way of doing business, rooted in community, relationship and trust. To borrow a quote from Farmer and Poet Wendell Berry, "Community is the mental and spiritual condition of knowing that the place is shared, and that the people who share the place define and limit the possibilities of each other's lives. It is the knowledge that people have of each other, their concern for each other, their trust in each other, the freedom with which they come and go among themselves.”