The Lunatic Farmer

JANUARY 10, 2024

Many of you realized that this is not what I’m advocating instead of pasture, but some folks jumped to the conclusion that I had all of a sudden abandoned outdoor chickens in favor of indoor protocols. I didn’t say to quit pasturing chickens. If the bedding is kept moist—and it should be so it’ll compost—it won’t have much dust.

Pasture 78

Pasture Food Compost Ecology 78

Civil Eats

AUGUST 16, 2023

When you approach the poultry paddocks at Salvatierra Farms outside Northfield, Minnesota, you might not notice how many chickens are hiding among the tall grasses and young hazelnut trees at first. Each poultry flock or “unit” includes 1,500 chickens, a barn, and 1.5 And that’s by design.

Poultry 98

Poultry Processing Acre Farming 98

The Lunatic Farmer

JULY 14, 2023

That year he hosted his first national conference and asked me to do a speech about pastured poultry. Suddenly we were getting calls from around the country: “How do you do this pastured poultry thing?” In 1991 I typed out a simple “Pastured Poultry Manual” and offered it for $15. It brought the house down.

Pasture 60

Pasture Poultry Farming Farming 60

Caff

JANUARY 25, 2023

From producing their own compost to managing a CSA to selling direct at farmers markets all over Southern California, J.R. Their highly-diversified farm produces organic dairy, beef, lamb, poultry, eggs, and even yarn made from their sheep, goats and angora rabbits.

Farming 52

Farming Farming Food Marketing 52

CalCAN

APRIL 6, 2023

Transforming the food and farming system through the above domains as well as through crop insurance, agroforestry, organic farming, farmland protection, pasture-based systems, conservation set-asides, manure management, and agrivoltaic systems, the bill creates a clear focus on farm and food system resilience.

Agriculture 52

Agriculture Agriculture Greenhouse Food 52

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

MAY 10, 2024

As with all programs, NSAC will continue to analyze the RPFSA’s CSP provisions, including a proposed one-time CSP subprogram focused on enrollment of up to 500,000 acres of native or improved pasture land used for livestock grazing in the Lower Mississippi River Valley to address water quality issues leading to hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico.

Ruralism 111

Ruralism Food Farming Farming 111

The Lunatic Farmer

NOVEMBER 16, 2022

Our farm participated in a pastured egg nutrient study several years ago. Pastured livestock offer much higher percentages of conjugated linoleic acid; indeed, only two weeks of grain feeding chases it out of the body on beef cattle. Compare that to our pastured poultry model which requires 10 ft. Isn’t that beautiful?

Agriculture 52

Agriculture Agriculture Fertilizer Manure 52