On another section Schagel only used organic compost. Once spring arrives, the cover crop is tilled back into the soil before corn is planted. To improve soil health and limit erosion, Boulder County directed Schagel to plant a cover crop during the winter on one portion of the farm, the roots from which reduce erosion and keep nutrients in the soil. On Wednesday, Paul Schlagel harvested his 140-acre cornfield at the Quicksilver Farm just outside Longmont, on which Boulder County and Colorado State University have partnered to test some carbon farming practices at scale. “It closes the loop and maximizes the return on it.” “What I would like to see is all of the local restaurants, grocery stores, hotels, the conference centers should all be paired up with farms, because if all of that food that is not fit for human consumption can go to animal feed then the animal waste is the perfect thing to grow vegetables,” Nancy Starek said. Neguse and Armstrong.īy doing so, not only does The Golden Hoof Farm reduce waste by feeding any leftover food to its animals, but those animals also help to improve the health of the soil and plants, which allows for more efficient use of water and additional capacity for carbon absorption. “The three pillars of regenerative agriculture as I see it are: regeneration through monogastrics, so it’s releasing the food waste in the food system and allowing it to be used (to feed farm animals) regeneration through rotational grazing from ruminants, like cows and sheep or even bison and food freedom, the ability for farmers to sell directly to consumers,” Nancy Starek, who owns Golden Hoof Farm with her Husband Karel Starek, told Reps. Joe Neguse talks with Karel Starek at The Golden Hoof on Monday. Please join us on our adventure and support your local farmers.Photo by Matthew Jonas/Staff PhotographerAlice Starek shows food that will be fed to pigs as U.S. We believe that it’s time for us as a culture to reconnect with the brilliance of nature: to watch, to learn, to mimic. Instead of learning from and copying the brilliance of nature, our society has systematically eradicated natural ecosystems and replaced them with sprawling mono-cultures dependent on endless inputs ultimately leading to a myriad of problems. Petroleum-based pesticides and fertilizers and large machinery have been used to replace the work normally done by animals in our industrial food system. Through our newly cultivated interest in great, healthy food, our longstanding desire to be a part of the solution, and our inability to get what we were looking for at grocery stores or restaurants, we gradually realized that we wanted to grow food for ourselves and others.Īs we researched growing systems, we learned the central role animals play in every ecosystem designed by nature, and in those of diversified farms. After removing gluten, un-sprouted grains and legumes, and most processed food from our diets - in addition to reducing our exposure to toxic chemicals, reducing our stress, and increasing daily exercise - we have both reached a place of greatly improved health and vitality. We soon discovered that we, as well as our three children, had Celiac Disease - a disease centered around an inability to digest gluten proteins in grains.ĭuring our attempt to regain our health, we discovered that grains, legumes, and processed foods were neither easily digestible nor nutritious for us. Alice had struggled with digestive issues since childhood and Karel had recently developed an autoimmune disease. In a parallel process we started to realize that we had the beginnings of serious food related illnesses. We learned a lot from our experiences at Gold Lake, especially about the challenges of creating a healthy work-life balance in our culture. It was a magical place that had great food, art, beauty and undisturbed nature and quiet, without the snob appeal of the typical upscale resort. At Gold Lake, we wanted to create a place that would allow guests to relax and reconnect on a deep level. In 1994 we started the Gold Lake Mountain Resort & Spa in Ward, Colorado which we operated for eleven years. We began our journey together with Alice as a frustrated designer yearning to explore architecture for the soul and Karel as the swimming coach for the Boulder Poseidons. It’s just only recently that we decided to do it on a farm. We have always been on a quest to discover the ‘Good Life’ a life inherently filled with meaning, purpose and of course good food.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |