Know Thy Food - Know Thy Farmer
We are a naturopathic doctor-turned-farmer mama (Karis; that's "car-rease" like "car grease"), a helicopter pilot papa (Alex), and three crazy kids working together with the land and each other to produce food that is nourishing to our bodies and yours in a way that supports our local communities and protects and improves our air, water and soil.
We raise our meat on organically managed pastures with regenerative principles, dedication and individual care to produce the most delicious, nutritious products around.
First Generation Farmers
Prior to “buying the farm” in January 2020, we had pretty much only ever raised cats and basil plants. After a year and a half living in an RV while traveling the Western USA, Alex accepted a job in Pennsylvania. We found the farm, fell in love with it and the opportunity to produce for ourselves and our community the kind of humane, sustainable, low-footprint, earth-improving, uber-nutritious food we couldn’t buy in the stores—and never looked back.
We are first generation farmers. (Or maybe, we are re-generation farmers? Most Americans have farming family if you go back enough generations, mine included). I used to be shy about this. So many farms boast decades of establishment and generations of ownership, and here we are, total greenhorns! But here is the thing: the average age of the US farmer is approaching 58 years old. Those farmers have plenty of farming years ahead of them, but as the average age of any industry increases, so nears the end of that industry. Food production is vital to food security, and food security is a matter of national security.
Furthermore, as the coronavirus pandemic made clear, it's also essential that we have a decentralized food supply, made up of smaller producers and processors across the nation. We are proud to be part of the solution to both of these problems, and grateful to "stand on the shoulders of giants" as we learn from incredible farmers who have gone ahead of us and dear neighbors who help us along the way.
The Farm
We are located on 62 sloping acres just west of "Little" Washington, PA. Our land deed goes back to 1776. Although it's hard to imagine it now, we're told that our current driveway was part of the original main road, which cut in front of our house, spring house and barn before continuing onward--hence our farm's name, Old Road Farm.
We raise chicken, duck and turkey on rotated pasture for meat and eggs; milk-fed, pasture-raised pork; grassfed lamb and a little bit of grassfed beef and humane veal alongside limited vegetables, herbs and flowers.
The land gives to the animals by way of food, and the animals return fertility to the land through pruning, manure and trampling.
In addition to a buffet of grass and grubs, our pasture-raised chicken, pork and holiday turkeys are all offered certified organic grain grown regionally on regenerative farms. Our poultry are processed under USDA inspection at a family-run processor nearby in Ohio.
Our eggs come from pastured raised hens who range our grassy fields, supplementing their forage-filled diet with regionally grown, soy free, certified organic grain.
Our lambs are born on pasture and graze with their mothers until harvest time. They are 100% grass fed and grass finished.
As of late 2022, the incredible 100% grassfed, grass finished beef we offer is raised on a partner farm just twenty minutes from us in Prosperity, PA. We are thrilled to work with them and offer you their quality meat. We just don't have the infrastructure to raise lots of beef! Instead, on our farm, we keep a small number of dairy cattle.
The sheep and cows graze the property together and behind one another, effectively controlling weeds, fertilizing, and transforming the sun’s energy--in the form of grass--into nutrition for us and fertility for the soil, which in turn improves the health of our land, water and air.
It is a tremendous amount of work, an honor and a privilege to use our time and talents to steward the land and produce incredibly delicious, nutritious food for our community in a way that protects and improves our shared natural resources. We look forward to meeting you and you joining us on this journey!