Past: 

Open Field Farm was historically operated as a dairy and chicken operation in the first half of the 20th century. In the 1940s, the dairy herd was enlarged and the chickens were sold. Most recently, the land was leased to an organic dairy farmer for silage and grazing and it has not been used as a dairy for about 15 years.

Present:

Currently, we are growing about 3 acres of dry beans and corn, mixed vegetables and flowers for ourselves and our extended families. We are also working hard to rebuild the ranch infrastructure, including new water pipe, new electrical, and slowly working to refurbish the barns. We hope to be able to start a CSA soon, possibly this fall but almost certainly in the spring. Please contact us to sign up.

We are also starting our herd of Corriente cows. We currently have about 35 cows that are being intensively managed and are rotating through the pastures to help maintain the grassland.  We have 3 Tunis sheep to work as lawnmowers and we plan to grow that herd as well.

Future:

In the future, we hope to provide a wide variety of food for our members while maintaining the health of the land. Thinking about the natural resources of this farm and our skills, we would like to add as much diversity as possible while still being able to manage it well and not abuse the land or ourselves. We hope to expand our farm offerings to include beef, lamb, pork, and eggs, small grains, dry beans, vegetables, and flowers. We imagine that this land could provide this range of food for about 200 members.