A Farm Healing Itself: What’s Greening Up
Like so many farms across the country, this land carries old wounds—left behind by years of industrial practices and big agriculture. But when I walk this field today, what I see isn’t damage.
I see healing.
This pasture is greening up beautifully, and while the work isn’t finished yet, it’s far enough along that you can finally start to see the future taking shape.
A Living Seed Cocktail
When I step down into the field, the diversity jumps out immediately.
What you’re seeing is a carefully planted cocktail of 8–10 different species working together:
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Cool-season nurse crops like cereal rye
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Warm-season nurse crops like iron clay cowpeas (now dying back)
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Nitrogen fixers including white clover, red clover, and alfalfa
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Forages and grasses like orchard grass, timothy, and plantain
This field was originally meant to be planted in the spring, but relentless rain changed the plan. Instead of forcing the calendar, we worked with it—and the results speak for themselves.
Fixing Water Before It Becomes a Problem
In front of the black barn sits about three acres that used to funnel water downhill, eroding the bank near the creek. Over time, that runoff would eat away at the land.
So we re-shaped it.
By adding proper slope and multiple angles, water now hits a catch basin first. Any overflow is captured again downstream. Instead of erosion, we now have control—and protection for the soil long-term.
Clearing the Way for What’s Next
Behind me used to be an old fence line full of dead trees and forgotten wire—remnants of how this land was once used. That’s all been removed.
Why?
Because this entire area will become our backyard when we build our home. From the barn all the way down to the creek line, this land will be green, open, and alive.
It’s not just pasture. It’s home.
A Farm Built for Kids, Too
Straight ahead—near the red wagon—is one of my favorite parts of this vision.
The kids at our school won’t just learn inside a classroom. They’ll run out here for kickball tournaments, playground time, and wide-open space to be kids.
And yes—I’ll absolutely be out there playing too.
The Big Reveal: What’s Being Built
Now for the big changes.
That old gray barn? It’s coming down.
In its place, we’re building a brand-new barn starting at the corner and running 48 feet long, standing 12 feet tall with a 5/12 pitch. It’ll be roughly 26–28 feet wide and used primarily for equipment storage—tractors, implements, and possibly brooding in the future.
But that’s not all.
We’re also adding a 48-foot awning, extending out from the barn for covered equipment storage and flexible use. Right about here will be a door leading directly into the farm market.
And finally, the black barn itself is getting a full makeover—black metal coming off, replaced with white board-and-batten siding.
A Farm Becoming What It Was Meant to Be
These changes aren’t cosmetic. They’re intentional.
They support the mission of this farm:
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Healing land
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Building community
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Creating a place where food, education, and family come together
This episode isn’t about finishing—it’s about becoming.