Joel Holmes runs Fort Rock Farms, which provides all of his family's income. The farm produces customer direct beef, pork, pasteurized chicken, honey, seasonal vegetables, and firewood sales. Holmes uses a permaculture approach to farming, which involves working with what he has at hand instead of having unrealistic expectations. The farm has 13 beehives, and all the vegetables that are not eaten go to the pigs. The pigs are kept in portable electric fencing that can be placed anywhere on the property. The pigs are allowed to be pigs and are given plenty of exercise, shade, and mud holes to stay cool. The manure from the pigs is used with wood chips to make compost for the vegetables and grasses. The beef is grain finished, making it easier to cook and more forgiving. The farm has a water system that consists of a 20,000-gallon storage tank, and a charge line system pumps water from a well located at the bottom of the property. Holmes believes that anyone can run a farm, and his farm is proof of that.
Learn more: https://fortrockfarms.com/