What is Sustainable Agriculture?
Our Farm Philosophy
Sustainable agriculture is, in essence, the practice of giving back to the land. The Shepherd’s Fold is a polyculture farm, where many mutually beneficial species happily co-exist. Our bees collect pollen from our corn and nectar from the hayfields. They are not harmed, because we do not use pesticides. The corn and hay are fed to our sheep, goats and cattle, who turn it into healthy meat, milk and nutrient-rich manure.
In the summer, they fertilize our pastures for us. In the winter, when they spend most of their time inside lounging in the barn, we bed them with wood chips (from fallen limbs found in our woods) which will go back onto the garden and the fields in the spring.
Our chickens also fertilize as they go… in the summer you can always tell where the chickens have been, because the grass is greener there.
The bees give us honey that will bless our table and the vegetables in the garden are more abundant because of our live-in pollinators. Each of our endeavors sustains the farm as a whole, using the God ordained biodiversity of the earth as its model.
In contrast, 85% of America’s food supply is produced by only 8% of the farms. Government subsidized monoculture (single species) farming has replaced the family farms that throughout history fed our country. These mega farms have specialized in bringing a consistent and cost efficient product to the American consumer, but the incredible expense in the toll they have taken on American farms and farmland is just starting to be recognized.
Their farming practices rob the soil of nutrients, necessitating the heavy use of chemical laden fertilizers and weed killers. Heavy pesticide use kills “bad” insects, but also wreaks havoc with the beneficial soil organisms and pollinators.
Over crowded conditions and mass production of single species “meat” animals necessitate the widespread use of antibiotics and hormones which in turn have had detrimental effects on generations of children. Also, finding no use for the vast quantities of manure produced by hundreds of animals packed in small spaces, these farms end up disposing of it as “toxic waste.”
Genetically modified plants and hybrid varieties that do not reproduce true to form are wreaking havoc with the very essential building blocks of life itself. Not to mention the crisis in American farming, as small family farms are forced off the land. This is a picture of non-sustainable agriculture.
Our Products
Pastured Beef
The high CLA content of lean grass-fed meat has caught the attention of health minded consumers nationwide. CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), has been shown to help prevent cancer, obesity, and insulin resistance. There are also claims that it may help lower cholesterol and combat free radicles.
Red meats are the best source of CLA and the levels found in 100% grain-fed meats are only 1/3 to 1/5 of what we need. Grass-fed meats, however, contain 300-500% more CLA than is found in grain fed meats. They are also higher in Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins A, B, and E.
Our beef is lean but flavorful, finished on the farm on a diet of grass, hay, and natural grains. Our animals get fresh air, sunshine, and lots of exercise.
Beef quarters are usually over 160lbs hanging weight. You can order a quarter, half, or whole beef. You can also use our order form to order only the exact cuts that you would like.
Honey Bees
Healthy bees make healthy honey. Unlike most commercial beekeepers, we don’t feed our bees “preventative” antibiotics, nor do we put heavy chemicals like coumaphos and fluvalinate in our hives. These chemicals are highly dangerous and can leave chemical residues in wax and honey for years after their use.
We collect honey, wax, and pollen from our 70+ colonies. Our honey is never heated or forced through a super-fine filter so it still has small particles of wax, pollen, and propolis in it. These microscopic bits are the powerful healing formula in our local raw honey.
We also sell bee pollen, an anti-allergy immune booster. We sell ours fresh-frozen, not dried, to retain the flavor, nutrients, and naturally occurring amino acids found in fresh pollen.
Our unbleached beeswax is sold bulk for use in cosmetics and soaps, or as 100% beeswax candles. Though expensive (it takes 9 pounds of honey to make 1 pound of wax), our beeswax is chemical free. If you buy one of our candles, you can rest assured that while they will fill your home with the sweet scent of honeycomb, they will be filtering impurities from your air, not adding to them.
Heritage Lamb
Our lamb is mainly from three heritage breeds: Dorper, Romanov, and Katahdin.
Dorper is a breed developed for growing a meaty lamb on a minimal amount of grain. A cross between the old-fashioned Dorset (itself a heritage breed) and the ancient Persian Fat-tailed Sheep, they are hardy, thrifty, and colorful.
Romanovs are a Russian breed known for raising multiple lambs. Their coarse fleece makes strong rugs and they cross well with other breeds.
Katahdins are hair sheep, meaning that they grow hair like a goat instead of wool. This breed was developed in Maine specifically for grass-fed lamb production. They have a milder flavor than most lamb and we usually breed our Katahdin ram to the Romanov girls too.
All three of these breeds are strong and hardy. We rarely have issues with the foot rot, parasite, or other common sheep ailments. They all have exceptional flavor. If you like typical (Suffolk type) grocery store lamb, you’ll love our heritage lamb!
Pastured Chicken
Our White Mountain Broilers are raised on pasture, supplemented with an unmedicated grain and mineral ration. They get plenty of fresh air, sunshine, and exercise- resulting in a leaner, pinker, firmer meat with superior flavor and nutrition.
Most chickens from the grocery store are raised on medicated feed and artificial light in a crowded broiler-house. You can taste the difference! Once you try our pasture birds you will never want to go back! We sell our broilers whole or by the cut. Check out our from to order this superior meat today!
Natural Colored Free Range Eggs
Our hens are truly free range! They wander all over the pasture, the barn, and occasionally the garden. You can always tell the difference in the color of the eggs as soon as they start eating the fresh spring grass, then again when it disappears in the fall.
All of our hens are the old heritage breeds, so our eggs are not all the same. They can be green, white, or one of many shades of brown.
Local Maple Syrup
Like our honey, each batch of our syrup is a little different. There may be variations in color or flavor. However, this is just the beauty of local syrup. It is lovely for baking or for drizzling over pancakes with a little of our real butter. Yum!
