A Visit to Falling Sky Farm

Moveable Chicken Houses

I am almost a month behind on taking pictures off the camera - I though digital cameras were supposed to remove the lag between the taking and the viewing. I guess that only works if you actually take time to get them off, just like film. Anyway, last month, between storms and tornadoes and before the hot weather, we attended a farm day held at Falling Sky Farm, one of the farms we get food from at our farmer's market. Cody and Andrea are the driving force behind our online market/CSA, and are really motivated and interested in providing local, humanely grown eggs, chickens, pork and beef. They hold a farm tour day semi-annually, but we have never been able to go before.

The day was gorgeous, with a breeze, but not too much, and it was sunny, but not too hot. The farm is about 100 miles north of Conway, just at the edges of the larger hills and mountains up that direction.

Chickens, trying to decide if we are friendly

Andrea and Cody raise laying hens, meat chickens, grass-fed beef, and acorn-fed pigs (well, not exclusively, but they do get to root around under oak trees every day). I only have pictures of the laying hens - I forgot to charge my camera battery, and it died right after the first stop on the tour.

Yup, not a threat. Let's investigate.

They move the cows and chickens daily, so that the grass isn't overgrazed, and the chickens get a chance to scratch through the manure, which helps spread it around and eliminates bugs.

Charge!

The tour was great, although I only have these few photos. We walked around to the cows and the pigs, then had a delicious potluck with the other visitors. I love that we are able to go see the farm where our food comes from, and see that the animals are happy and healthy and that the land is healthy as well. I also love that we are able to support small, local farmers, since they should be the backbone of our food economy.

Visit their website. If you are interested in learning more about the local food movement, slow food, etc, there are many, many resources available on-line and at your local library. Read Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma, go to a farmers market. Start a garden.