With the start-up of this farm, I intend to provide the freshest, most wholesome, non-GMO food as possible using the best methods to grow healthy food.

To that end, I will use natural and/or organic products (fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides), with an absolute minimal use of specific conventional fertilizers.  When and if possible, I will completely abandon use of even the small amounts of conventional fertilizers, in favor of natural alternatives.

There are many buzzwords when it comes to food and farming, with the follow being the ones I most often hear:

Sustainability
Natural
Organic
Responsibly Grown
Cage-Free
Free-Range
Non-GMO
Etc…

I could easily string them together, pretending that they mean something to me that they don’t.  Instead, what I can say is – I intend to keep my overall impact as small as possible.

That being said, I am also a realist, and will use tools and technology, staying within my self-limiting principles, when and where I find them necessary to produce the best food possible, including:

Tractors and power equipment
Ground Cover (to retard weed growth without chemicals)
Row/Frost Cover (to extend an otherwise very short growing season)
Poly-tunnels and Hoop houses (to extend the growing season)
Greenhouses (to allow for starting my own seedlings)
Fertilizers (only select ones, preferably Organic, in limited amounts to promote plant growth)
Insecticides (only Certified Organic or Natural ones will be used)
Herbicides (only Certified Organic, otherwise it’ll be physical/mechanical weeding)
Fungicides (only Certified Organic or Natural ones will be used)
Electrified Fencing (to humanely limit the impact of wild animals)

I would like to specifically mention one thing in regards to insecticide use.  I strive to limit its use so as to not affect the bee population.  I know many people are concerned about the issue and consequently feel it’s important to note that I go to great pains to only apply insecticide in ways that limits its interaction and impact on the bees.  Additionally, installing beehives is in the farm plan for coming years.