MONTICELLO, Wis. — What’s better than sustainable farming? Regenerative farming–building healthier soils, water ways, and ecosystems. Jacob Marty and his father, Jim, started Green Fire Farm in 2015 on a 50 acre corn field. During the first year, they added grass fed cattle, pigs, and chickens, as well as chestnuts, persimmons, pecans, and redbuds to create a diverse ecosystem. They have added more than 3,000 diverse fruit and nut trees and shrubs as well as livestock and pollinator habitat. Such diversity is extremely rare in modern agriculture, and is an important to heal damaged soils, sequester carbon, and restore healthy soil microbes.
Come visit Green Fire Farm at N5305 Ringhand Road, Monticello, WI 53570 for a field day on October 4, 2017 from 9am – 4 pm. The event will include a full day of knowledge and entertainment that will give you first-hand insights into the details of incorporating and balancing a multi-species grazing practices. Also featured will be a newly established field of fruit and nut trees that are actively being grazed by livestock-an uncommon practice called Silvopasture. Demonstrations of a soil pit, rainfall simulator, and grazing stick will be performed by UW Extension, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Southwest Badger RC&D. Green Fire Farm grass finished beef and local produce will be served for lunch, thanks to support from Prairie Creek Seed. The event is $5/person and open to the public; press are welcomed for free. A registration fee is required and can be paid online at https://savannainstitute1.wufoo.com/forms/green-fire-farm-field-day/.
Green Fire Farm is a new regenerative family farming venture led by a father-son team-Jim and Jacob Marty. They focus on sustainable, local, natural, organic grass-fed beef, pastured heritage pork, and poultry products, using agricultural and lifestyle practices that regenerate and build healthy soils, sequester carbon, and enhance the health of local water, air, and nutrient cycles by mimicking patterns that occur in nature. Livestock are managed in ways that mimic their natural history and behavior. This results in healthy and happy animals that produce incredible quality meat in the process. Green Fire Farm serves Madison, Chicago, and the surrounding areas. More information is at https://www.greenfirefarmllc.com/.
Southwest Badger Resource Conservation and Development is a non-biased rural development program, focusing on the conservation, development, and utilization of natural resources to improve the standard of living in our area. It joins forces with individuals, agencies, and groups to improve the social, economic, and environmental opportunities of the local area. More information is at http://www.swbadger.org.
The Savanna Institute is a nonprofit organization working to empower industry stakeholders to support, adopt, and enhance the incorporation of trees in agriculture via research and education. Among other benefits for the farmer, community, and world, growing more trees and perennial crops works to improve soil health and pull carbon from the atmosphere. More information is at http://www.savannainstitute.org/index.html.
— Southwest Badger RC&D Council
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