Listening to the Land and Making Wise Choices

Something will be missing from our list of products this year.

 

Seven years ago, we filled our first chicken tractors with young meat birds and began rotating them around the only tree-free land on our farm.  This area just happened to be near the road and the yellow tarped roofs quickly gained attention.  I suspect that even now, local folks watch for this sign of the season:  when the chicken tractors of Love Led Farm are moving once again.

This year, they will be disappointed.  You, too perhaps?

As a farmer, one of the wisest things I can do is to learn to listen to our land.  It speaks volumes.   A couple of years ago, I began to notice some issues.  By the end of last year, I could no longer ignore the signs.  The chicken field was pleading for a break.

So this year we will not raise meat chickens.  Does that make you sad?  Me, too.

Think of this as a choice in values and stewardship.  Continually stripping our land of its health means propping up the the health of our birds, all for the sake of a few dollars.  That flies in the face of one of our core missions:  to manage our land responsibly, seeking to improve it along with the health of our livestock.

The better alternative, it seems,  is to respect the land’s need to rest and replenish so that future flocks will thrive from the goodness it provides.  Now that sounds more like us.

The payoff?  Healthy birds, healthy meat, healthy people.

That makes the choice a bit easier, doesn’t it?

Although we will all need to find alternative sources for good chicken this year, Love Led Farm will still be here, providing other fine products for you and your family.

We thank you for your understanding, for your loyalty, and for your friendship. 

Warmly,