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Sustainable Farming at
Frog Chorus Farm
We farm 20 acres in northwestern Washington state, USA. We use and encourage sustainable farming methods throughout our operation. This website is a collection of topic pages and articles about those methods: why we use them, how they work, and how they help ensure farming profits both now and in the future.
Why Sustainable Farming?
We are referring to methods which protect and promote "The Three E's": Environmental, Economic and Ethical sustainability. A farm that chronically erodes the soil, consumes nonrewable resources, and/or takes advantage of the owners, the employees, the customers and/or the community, may survive for awhile. But not for very long. Long-term stability and profitability demand that farms be managed sustainably, so that they may be an asset to their families, their communities and their landscapes.
We make no claims to have perfected these methods. This is an ongoing process, not just for us but for anyone and everyone trying to farm sustainably. We aren't even particularly accomplished at it yet. Many of our web pages will talk about where we goofed up, what we did wrong, and what we're trying to fix. That's human, an that's natural. All our most respected teachers and mentors along the line have told us repeatedly that we'll never "arrive" at sustainability. At best, we'll only get better at it over time.
So with one part excitement, two parts humility, three parts humor and seven parts patience, we hereby wish to share what we've learned along the way. All our web pages, all our blog entries, all the books and articles and PDF downloads you'll find on this website will have that sustainable farming philosophy as a foundation. We hope that by collecting and presenting as much solid information as we can, your questions about sustainable farming will be answered. Tour around our website, and please feel free to send us any questions you may have. We hope you enjoy your visit!
January On The Farm
Ahhh, the holidays are over and a new year has begun. January is the start of the production season for us, and that production begins on paper. Lots of planning done this month - what to plant, where to plant it, when to harvest it, how to juggle the fertilization, weeding, transplanting and other tasks. What animals to breed, when to breed them, to whom, and what plans we have for the offspring. What outbuildings to replace, to repair, to expand. What equipment to buy, how to pay for it and how we'll maintain it over time. What forestry work needs to be done, how and when to do it, and how to best utilize both the harvested results and the areas just cleared. While it storms and blows outside, we'll be doing all this planning work inside. With a bit of luck, our plans will be ready by February, and we'll be able to get to work on both inside and outside projects. For now, it feels good to be laying the planning foundation for all that effort to come.
Take Our Survey!
We are always expanding our website, adding information that we hope will be useful to you. But sometimes we think you want information on such-and-such topic when in reality you're more interested in something else. We've just put together a survey so that you can tell us what topics you're interested in, what questions you have, what formats you appreciate, and whatever additional comments or suggestions you'd like to make. We invite you to fill out this survey so that we can improve our website for you and your needs. Click here for the survey form.
Our Mission:
* To provide a wide variety of fresh and wholesome produce, meat and dairy products, craft items and forestry products to our customers.
* To grow, raise or otherwise manufacture all our products via materials and methods which are environmentally sustainable, economically profitable and ethically responsible.
* To deliver excellent product quality and outstanding customer service to our farm's patrons.
* To demonstrate that the small diversified family farm can be a vibrant, rewarding lifestyle, a responsible citizen of the community and landscape, and a viable economic enterprise.
* To share what we've learned about what works, what doesn't, and why, so that others may improve their own environmental, economic and ethical sustainability.
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Weblog Archives
We are still building out this new blog archiving system, so please be patient with us as we do so. We think you'll be pleased with the results.
In the meantime, feel free to look through our current and past blog entries while they're still on monthly pages. Check back soon and we'll hopefully have them all sorted quickly. Thank you for your patience.
Archives in Chronological Order
Current Entries:
Current Month's Entries
Previous Month's Entries:
October 2011 Weblog Entries
Sept 2011 Weblog Entries
Aug 2011 Weblog Entries
July 2011 Weblog Entries
June 2011 Weblog Entries
May 2011 Weblog Entries
April 2011 Weblog Entries
March 2011 Weblog Entries
February 2011 Weblog Entries
January 2011 Weblog Entries
Archives By Category
This section is still under construction. We hope to have it finished soon. Please feel free to explore the following categories, and check back often for additional categories. Thank you for your patience!
CATEGORIES:
Animal Husbandry
Cows
Ethics, Policies and Politics
Farm Lifestyle
Farm Planning
Farm Marketing
Horticulture
Hogs
Livestock Guardian Dogs
On-Farm Resource Management
Veterinary Services
Weather Issues
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