• ABOUT US •
Our Farming Philosophy
Connect the dots to your food source with foods from Woolley Farms!
Our farm emphasizes:
- Pastured, heritage-breed animals
- Sustainable rotational grazing techniques
- Innovation and experimentation
- Study of permaculture and biodynamics
- Designing and managing integrated systems rather than installing monoculture yields several benefits:
- Cuts costly external inputs: purchased grain, machinery and equipment
- Reduces waste management problems
- Improved animal health and longevity
- Decreased parasitism and disease resistance through natural exercise and diet
- Lower bacteria counts and higher nutrients in the meat due to healthier animal lifestyle
Many sustainable agriculture pioneers such as Masanobu Fukuoka, author of The One-Straw Revolution, encourage farmers to take time to observe natural processes and allow nature to do the majority of the farm work. For example, animals on pasture will ‘spread’ their own manure by moving around throughout the day. A more holistic approach to farm design considers the natural inputs and outputs of each part of a farm when making decisions and plans.
Our Animals
Many friendly animals live on the farm, including a herd of domesticated sheep (Jacobs), several goats (Pygmy Angora and Nigerian Dwarf), pigs (Tamworth), flocks of poultry (chicken, ducks, turkeys seasonally), and a miniature donkey named Precious.
There are also wild creatures in the area, including herons, hawks, eagles, bear, skunk, and coyote. The barn is home to a flock of pigeons, a stray cat or two, and a large white barn owl.
Information About Rotational Grazing
Management-intensive grazing, also known as rotational grazing, is the primary method of feeding animals on the farm. The concept involves partitioning off pastures and moving livestock according to the forage left on each section, maximizing the ‘harvest’ of the grass.
This requires careful observation of the fields. Grass farmers use information such as soil test results, growth rate, species diversity, legume percentage and more to make decisions about when to move the animals and how many to have on each pasture.
