This land is our land, this land is your land

Farming offers an opportunity for us to have a balance between our land, livestock and wildlife. We’re blessed to use the land in our possession for a brief amount of time. We use a rotational grazing system that allows the sheep a fresh pasture mix half the year, and in the winter, we feed homegrown forage bales. In this way, we’re working on being responsible caretakers of our land.

We have three key initiatives on our farm:

• Use cross-fencing for rotational grazing. We make smaller pasture lots so our animals do not wander and create paths, which can compact and degrade the land. We use a pasture rotation system, which maintains forage and animal health. This also limits animal access to natural waterways, ensuring our community has fresh water for our family and yours.
• Use frost seeding and no-till practices to establish healthy forages. Our family worked with Michigan State University to complete forage trials, testing the best vegetation for our northern location and for the health of our land and livestock. From the trial results, we were able to methodically diversify the natural legume and grass vegetation in our area.
• Use the water resources on our land to maximize our farm efficiency. We have established a watering system accessible throughout our farm, reducing the time and energy our sheep need to spend seeking resources.