Plant diversity
is also important to us on the farm. We believe that the more varied
plant life we can add to the
farm, the more our community here on the land is strengthened. We
have ongoing efforts to plant fruit, nut and native trees, shrubs
and herbs that are beneficial to all the beings in the farm
ecosystem.
On the farm,
each plant and animal
interacts to create a community web of life here that adds to
the personality of the
farm. Eva, our farm dog, is an Australian Cattle Dog (also known as
a
Blue Heeler) and takes her responsibilities here on the farm very seriously.
Her barking is the first sound visitors hear as they
pull up. While she takes her job as watch dog and alerts us to all
sorts of nuances and abnormalities happening, she also loves to
herd Dennis' shoes, get treats (she loves carrots!) and when she is
naughty she likes to troll the compost pile for forbidden leftover
food. In lieu of cattle to herd, she chases squirrels, deer and rabbits, and is obsessed with all farm wheels. She's the namesake for the farm.
We also have a flock of chickens
that roam around in a chicken tractor, feasting on spent greens or pasture
grasses giving us in turn, delicious orange yolked eggs. We have
limited amounts of eggs for sale at the market and at our CSA pick
ups. Making sure the chickens roam on fresh grass and salad greens
provides us with high quality eggs and gives them a natural and
diverse life, out in the sunshine and rain, content to be scratching
for seeds and bugs.
Our farm cat, Olive,
appears when the need arises, and is a highly dramatic 2 year old
grey cat who is always looking for the next exciting place to hide
and explore.