WHAT MAKES OUR FARM SUSTAINABLE OVER CONVENTIONAL BEEF & PORK OPERATIONS??

We have jumped on the crazy train and followed the world-famous, self-proclaimed "Lunatic Farmer", Joel Salatin of Poly Face Farms. His methods have proven that you can actually HEAL THE LAND and REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS while producing flavourful, ETHICALLY RAISED meat.

You can read about his methods on their website HERE .

                                                                                                                                                                                                           
HERE AT HERITER FARMS, our goal is to ride on the crazy train with the Lunatic Farmer and mimic his management strategies. This allows the animals & plants to express their natural characteristics.  A critical component is MOB or Intense Rotational (IR) grazing  used to improve the quality of pastures, build new topsoil and develop a strong network of underground soil structures. 

Like permaculture practices, the Salatin method creates a sustainable relationship between the livestock, soil organisms, and the surrounding ecosystems such as forests and wetlands. IT EMBRACES DIVERSITY, so you will never see a mono-culture field on our land. We allow "weeds" to grow, adding micro-nutrients and variety to our cattle & pig's diet. Imagine a yummy spring salad with several fresh young greens!
Our farm is fairly new and we are still working on building our soil to achieve the density levels seen by Poly Face Farms and other pioneers like Gabe Brown, but check back often as we continue to add new info on our farm's progress. This is a very exciting time!

      SO WHAT ARE WE DOING DIFFERENTLY? - 

             EVERYTHING          

Here at Heriter Farms, we are following the practices of revolutionary (and "crazy" farmers) like Joel Salatin and Gabe Brown, who are using science-based farming practices to change the way we grow and produce meat and other foods.

Here is what we DON’T do:

Till or plow fields and gardens

Use chemical sprays (herbicide or pesticide)

Use commercial fertilizer

Use GMO seed

Have mono-species fields

Feed our cows grains or animal bi-products

Confine our livestock

Here is what we DO:

Seed fields with diverse species to mimic native grass and "weeds" that thrived here previously

Allow most weed species to grow, providing nutrient-diversity for our cattle and pigs, and habitat and food for native birds

Plant seeds using a no-till seed drill to minimize soil disruption and prevent damage to fields

Use composted manure from our own animals to improve our fields - not tilling it in - to build the soil year after year and reduce outside inputs to increase sustainability

Mimic nature by moving cows daily onto fresh pasture to improve the soil, control weeds and reduce/eliminate any health
risks to our animals from parasites and disease

Encourage birds that naturally follow grazing animals, such as starlings, sparrows and swallows, which eat harmful insects and help sanitize the grazed paddocks

TREAT ALL OF OUR LIVESTOCK AND NATIVE SPECIES WITH THE UTMOST RESPECT AND LOVE