Joel Salatin and comunity -

So yesterday was a day we had been looking forward to for a long time it was a full day at Afton Field Farm with Joel Salatin - many of you know of him he's a farmer who has been propelled to the front of the current sustainable small farm movement by books like the Omnivores Dilemma and the Movie Food Inc. - So Joel was speaking at a Farm here called Afton Field Farm owned and operated by one of his students Tyler Jones a very enthusiastic and smart young farmer with big ideas and the gumption to get things done.. his willingness to grab it and go was inspiring...



When we arrived at the Afton Field Farm and where blown away by the beauty there. This property is new to Tyler and his wife Alicia but has a long history. It's an old homestead from the turn of the century with old groves and sprawling fields and beautiful old farm house and out buildings that are being brought back to life by this amazing young energy that is buzzing around the place...



I had high expectations to learn all kind of science and facts and methods and systems of improving our farm and fine tuning what we are doing here at big table farm -- I had about 1000 questions I needed answers on ... organic feed, housing, flys, tilling, clovers, proteins , custom feeds, compost questions... you name it I had it swirling around in my head..

So when we arrived to a crowd of 100+ people I was not sure how the day would go... .... then we registered and started walking down the lane to the farm house where we where being approached by Lise Hubbe with her draft horses pulling a cart made available to the guests...



Lisa has a farm down in Sico and is part of my Draft Horse group- and is just super!... The next people I saw where Bernard smith and his daughter - also farmers who are doing many of the same things we are... and then another pig farmer I knew ... I'm looking around and realizing here we all are again .. this community of small farmers who are all learning together as we all together but in our own way break out of the current 'modern' farming methods ... definitely some new faces but some familiar ones too ... farmers came to this from all over Oregon as well as 5 other states!

Joel opened by talking about the importance of people and community - customers, neighbors, family, friends and other farmers .. this community being the life of our 'farms' and the most important thing in what we are doing... this played it self out all day ..








as I listened to Joel talk politics, fencing and poop..I got some new information for sure ideas abotu egg pecking to pig waters.. some hi level inspirational talking and some nitty gritty USDA down in the trenches talking - we had a lot to cover in one day from chickens systems, pigs in oak groves to processing... in all this talking I met some new farmers like Sean of Dancing Cow farm that raises Dexters like us.. and got to talk Heritage breed pigs with some pigs farmers... and we also shared the day with Katie who has been out here working with us at Big Table since the spring and is part of our farm family now...



It was really very inspiring to meet joel he's just how he sounds in his writing in person : ) he's a dreamer and a goofball and a talker!

So I'm grateful to Joel for being such a huge advocate, to afton field for hosting.. but most of all I'm grateful to our community! -- all the people that buy our farm products and wine our friends who share meals, katie and others who have just shown up and worked moving fences or standing by my side at the farmers market... family, neighbors, and fellow farmers who have offered their time coaching and cheer leading as we grow our farm!

- thank you !