We started our journey reading about nutrition, health, and the connection between them. This led to starting our own pasture based grazing farm, which led to further research in soil life and how that affects up the food chain. Some key take-aways:

-there is more life below the surface of the soil than above
-the SoilFoodWeb (see http://soilfoodweb.com ) requires life within the soil to nurture plant life, which ultimately feeds animal life
-a healthy soil is full of soil life with symbiotic relationships w plants

-plants experiencing a nutritional requirement can produce an "exudate" from their roots that feed a symbiotic bacteria that gives the specific requested nutrient
-there is a unique exudate for each required nutrient
-in healthy soil there is a symbiotic bacteria for each exudate

-the time from deficiency, to secreting the exudate, to swap of exudate for requested nutrient, to that nutrient traveling up the plant to the deficient site has been measured at 3 seconds for 3 feet in a tomatoe plant. Round trip!
-this only works this well in healthy soils

-chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, tilling; all kill soil life and break this symbiotic relationship
-this leads to plants with nutritional deficiencies
-this leads to succeptability to disease, pest, drought and reduced yields

-this requires more inputs and labor
-yields per unit input are reduced, and nutrition of the plants is reduced
-animals and humans which consume these plants do not get maximal nutrition
-the meat produced on poor soil and diets is not as nutritious and does not taste as good

We cycle our animals over pasture similar to natural roving grazing herds. We control stocking density, time, and rest periods with Managed Intensive Grazing. We are introducing fruit and nut trees within our pastures to recreate the Oak Savannah native to this area.

We work to maximize soil life. Our soils after 50 years of corn/bean went from a heavy clay that would only grow weeds to a rich black loam that retains moisture and sustains a multi species pasture that our animals love - and wildlife! Deer, turkeys, birds, all come to eat!

Pasture forage plants typically grow slowly at first. Once they have a significant amount of solar collection (leaf) area, their growth rate increases. At the seed stage it slows. Our grazing practice involves utilizing large amounts of animals, small areas, short time periods,

And rest. The large amounts of animals means that they eat all plant species, not just the most delicious. The large amount of feet means that stems and undesirables are trampled into the dirt, along w dung and seeds. We manage time on pasture to ensure they dont graze the plants

below the rapid growth stage- we "takd half, leave half". The trampled plant matter, along w the digested plant matter and bacteria produced in dung feed the soil life. This increase availability of nutrition for plants, leading to higher growth and more nutritious forage.

We move the animals several times a day, pasture size and time on pasture is determined by the condition of the plants. Rest period is required to allow the plants to recover, and to reach the high end of the growth stage. We typically do not regraze within 28 days to help

manage paracites. Typical paracites that afflict grazing animals need to find a host before that or they die. We do not give dewormers to our anmimals, they also kill soil life. Besides pasture/hay, we offer free choice minerals as we build our regenerative, soil building future.

Pastured Beef, Pork and Lamb. Always on pasture/hay. We breed and raise them their whole life. No chemicals or hormones given.

Healthy Soil -> Happy, Healthy Animals -> Good tasting nutritionally dense meat -> Bon Appetite! http://Thepasturefarmer.com