Farmer : Nick Zigelbaum and Kate MacLeanLocation : Chelsea , Vt . speciality : kernel and dairy heritage - strain farm animal
rock by the thoughts of rural animation and food for thought yield , Nick Zigelbaum and Kate MacLean left their office jobs in San Francisco to intern at her cousin-german ’s pastured pork farm in North Carolina . You have intercourse how the rest of the story goes : The pair fell in love with livestock management , and their internship turned into full - time place .
“ We were so in love with the country , the creature , ” MacLean says . “ It was the first time I had thoroughly enjoyed my job and worked as hard as I mayhap could because I have intercourse it . That felt good . ”
tight forward to today : The pair have and operatesLongest Acres Farmin Chelsea , Vt . , where they raise a variety of inheritance - breed animals , include American Milking Devon cattle , Ossabaw pigs and Icelandic sheep . The farm ’s societal media presence has assist them maturate to their current level of winner .
“ We are capable , via platforms like Facebook , Instagram and my blog , to relay to our customers how we raise our fauna and what we have for sales event , ” MacLean notes . Longest Acres Farm
Biggest Success
I see our biggest achiever in the cycle of aliveness and death on our farm . We operate a nearly closed ruck ofIcelandic sheepandAmerican Milking Devons , which means we only spell other animals — mainly bulls and random-access memory — when we require more genetic diversity . At first , we invest in a few breeding animals for each herd , but now we see each animal through from nascence to death . It ’s our delegacy to provide our kin , neighbor and greater residential district with meat from beast that were raised with love and dignity , and I see our want of need for grease one’s palms in creature as the realization of this goal .
Biggest Challenge
Finding a willing market for our meat is our biggest and most consistent challenge . The price tag on our marrow adequately reflects what it costs to raise the animal with a very modest profit for us , yet this price ca n’t compete with the Leontyne Price of meat from factory farms . When mediate class Americans are struggling to pay up their own mortgages , their morals seem to take a back seat at the supermarket . I have a firsthand understanding of what it mean to have a tight budget , but I do n’t believe others — peopleoranimals — should suffer needlessly for my survival .
Firsthand Advice
I have one piece of advice for those starting out : lease land . Leasing soil is a way to drastically sheer your operating cost down on a farm . In many rural and even suburban surface area , you’re able to rent estate from your neighbors for a Song dynasty . I recommend investing in a home cornerstone for your operation that has a b , or memory board and a few acre , depend on your veggie , stock or forest needs . With this al-Qa’ida , you may then lease demesne around you , thereby increasing your size but with no indigence for mortgage and tumid monthly payments . Many landowners are eager to keep their land in agricultural use , both for the health of the land and for tax breaks . It ’s a win - win for both parties .
This clause originally appeared in the July / August 2015 issuing ofHobby Farms .
Longest Acres Farm
