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Stafford County couple have a go at modern agriculture, using livestock breeds and farming practices from days gone by Date published: 8/15/2010
By CATHY DYSON Moments after sunrise on a recent misty morning, the hills around Hartwood are alive with the sound of animals. Chickens cluck in almost singsong fashion as their henhouse is rolled to a different spot in the pasture. Jeff and Ginny Adams, owners of Walnut Hill Farm, move the pen--and the portable fence around it--every week. They want to capitalize on the piles of poop the chickens leave behind and spread that wealth throughout the fields. The nitrogen-rich waste is the only fertilizer the Adamses use. It helps the grass grow, which in turn supplies food for grazing oxen, beef cattle and sheep. And speaking of sheep, they're bleating in earnest at the sight of human activity. The leaders of the flock amble down one hill and up another in an effort to snatch a few pellets of chicken feed. They seem to think the grass is greener where the chickens are, so they graze near the hens until the portable fence is ready to go up again--and the sheep are shooed away. On the other side of the farm, two wild burros bray and dozens of pigs fill the air with their impatient squeals. They are all waiting for the morning meal, which can't come soon enough. The scenery around the farm seems like a page from another place and time, and that's by design. 'I KNOW THEIR STORY' The Adamses are raising heritage livestock--hearty breeds that have been in America for centuries and are known for their flavorful meat. The husband and wife also are using methods that go back almost as far. Everything they sell at local markets is raised on their land without chemicals, growth hormones or antibiotics. They sell freshly killed whole chickens for $3 a pound, and cuts of pork, beef and lamb that have been processed and frozen by a commercial butcher. Those cuts range from $6.25 a pound for maple sausage to $20.95 a pound for T-bone steak. "We're not a Walmart," Ginny said. "We don't have Walmart prices." But they do offer flavor--and their guarantee that the animals lived in a natural environment and weren't forced to gain weight faster than their bodies were meant to absorb it. For instance, those chickens sold on Saturdays in Warrenton and Manassas, and at the farm on Kellogg Mill Road? They were processed the Friday before by Jeff.
Date published: 8/15/2010
It took us several years to catch up with the average 1910 13-year old. But we acquired a respect for anyone who is trying to make a living off the land. We raise dairy cows, chickens, vegetables and fruit. We went through a research phase, then a few years of trial and error. I'd argue that the trial and error part is lifelong. Still, we know that the food we eat is raised cleanly and humanely and we know what's in it. Everyone has to start somewhere and every tiny step helps you and the environment.
and blueberries without spraying or fertilizing them. It doesn't wok for me. I do get tomatoes but they look like pockmarked hockeypucks. The other stuff is eaten by the rabbits, deer and whaever else sneaks around my yard when I am not looking. I suppose I could take a class at the 4H or something. To think my Paternal grandparents were once farmers.
and we've learned how difficult it is to do this. It's a whole lot easier to spray your fruits and vegetables with chemicals than it is to produce them naturally. The prices of natural foods reflect their more labor intensive production. As in anything else, you get what you pay for. I don't believe it is possible for most people to be truly self-sustaining. But every person who plants a tomato plant or keeps a chicken is reducing the overall need for factory farms. This is still a worthy goal.
What rural character is left in Stafford will change with the new comp plan. High density growth (condos, how 70's!!, will they even sell?) in 9 UDAs will force 3 acre by rights development outside of the UDAs.
It is not that I don't think these people are doing something positive but they are far from self sufficient. They are using a modern infrastructure to live a older life. They are using a chicken breeder for their hatchlings. They use public roads to get to the market where they sell their goods. They use a commercial butcher to process their products. There is nothing wrong with they but these modern ways are what protect them from the true chaotic, brutish and short life them emulate.
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