As I mentioned elsewhere on the website, this land was previously used for monocrop farming for many years. The soil was degraded, stripped of nutrients, and was naturally heavy in clay (which means poor drainage!)
A large part of what I attempt to do on the farm is to reuse and repurpose things as much as I can.
For example, the hay is purchased from a local farmer that lives less than 1 mile away. This reduces the carbon footprint of transporting the hay. It also supports another local farmer!
That hay is fed to the animals. Most of it ends up on the barn floor where it gets stepped on, pooped on, peed on, and trampled down. As it builds up it creates heat (composting). This heat helps the animals stay warm in winter.
Once the barn gets cleaned out, the hay is well on its way to being composted. It’s removed from the barn and placed in larger compost piles in the barn yard. It’s placed in areas that need some extra protection from the drainage issues, or areas that simply need better quality soil.
Once here it continues to break down. The chickens scratch it and spread it which helps to oxygenate the compost even more. An added benefit is that the chickens remain happy year round as they always have something new to scratch and peck in.
Over time, the hay breaks down and becomes high quality compost. This is used in the gardens to grow the food. That food is used to nourish us. It’s a beautiful process that I am continually in awe of.
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