The Polyface farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia offers a lesson in sustainability. Producing 40,000 pounds of beef, 30,000 pounds of pork, 25,000 dozen eggs, 1,000 turkeys and 1,000 rabbits on just 100 acres is beside the point, according to owner Joel Salatin. The “eggmobile” that allows the chickens to follow the cattle, feasting on the maggots in their dung, also is beside the point. The point, he said, is living in tune with nature.
“We have this notion…that in order to have a healthy ecosystem, we have to sacrifice the economy and in order to have a healthy economy, we have to sacrifice the ecosystem,” Salatin told USA Today. “Part of my lunacy is that I really believe we can have both.”
The cows are moved daily, Salatin said, to “a new salad bar,” mimicking the grazing habits of their wilder cousins, such as the bison and buffalo.
“This can’t be done industrially,” he added, “it’s hands-on.”
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1 Evolution: Plants vs. people // Feb 26, 2010 at 11:16 pm
[...] his most telling observation involves the evolution at Polyface, a family farm in Virginia’s Shenendoah Valley. The farm has taken rotation to a new level, [...]