Mid Mitten Sustainable Farm is producing local food in Central Michigan using nature as our model. We use rotational grazing to manage traditional farm animals in grassland and savanna ecosystems in a way that resembles how their wild ancestors impacted the land. Our focus is on restoring the soil ecology. We believe healthy soil is the foundation for healthy plants, animals, humans, and societies.
Sustainable practices implemented at Mid Mitten Farm:
We DON’T use:
Benefits of Sustainable Farming:
Less than a half day’s drive from anywhere in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, we are your local choice for sustainable meat all over the Mitten!
Sustainable practices implemented at Mid Mitten Farm:
- Management Intensive Grazing
- Adaptive Multi-Paddock Grazing
- Composting
- Permaculture
- Silvopasture
- Hugelkultur
- Sustainable Forest Management
We DON’T use:
- Hormones
- Antibiotics
- GMOs
- Mechanical Tillage (we don’t own a tractor!)
- Pesticides
- Chemicals
- Synthetic Fertilizer
Benefits of Sustainable Farming:
- Clean and Safe Food
- More Nutritious Food
- Better Tasting Food
- Clean Water
- Carbon Sequestration
- Healthy Soil
- Abundant Wildlife
- Productive Land
Less than a half day’s drive from anywhere in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, we are your local choice for sustainable meat all over the Mitten!
Woodland Pork
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Pigs are amazing animals who can eat almost anything. As you can imagine, that means a wide range in meat quality and flavor are possible, depending on how the animal was raised. Plenty of green grass and sunshine is the key to producing the best tasting and most nutritious pork. We give ours a special touch by letting our pigs forage the forest floor for acorns, walnuts and other delectable treats for much of the Autumn season.
Our pigs spend most of their lives on pasture, where they are able to express their unique natural instincts. They love to use their snouts to dig for plant roots, bugs, and whatever other tasty morsels might be in the soil. The end result looks like destruction of the pasture, but when properly managed, it is actually beneficial to the ecosystem in a number of ways. Pigs help loosen compacted soil, control invasive plants, and promote biodiversity. To maximize these benefits and the quality of our pork, we move the pigs to a new location regularly, and allow the land to rest for at least one to two years before placing pigs on it again.
Our pigs spend most of their lives on pasture, where they are able to express their unique natural instincts. They love to use their snouts to dig for plant roots, bugs, and whatever other tasty morsels might be in the soil. The end result looks like destruction of the pasture, but when properly managed, it is actually beneficial to the ecosystem in a number of ways. Pigs help loosen compacted soil, control invasive plants, and promote biodiversity. To maximize these benefits and the quality of our pork, we move the pigs to a new location regularly, and allow the land to rest for at least one to two years before placing pigs on it again.
Grazin' Greys Grassfed Beef - 100% Grassfed
Our Murray Grey breed cattle make the best beef on nothing but pasture! Through an ancient partnership with grass and soil microbes, cattle are the main drivers of land restoration. Using portable electric fence, we are able to coordinate the herd’s grazing, moving them to fresh pasture each day. The heavy impact of cattle, followed by an appropriate rest period for the land, keeps the grass in a constant state of regrowth, maximizing photosynthesis (i.e. carbon sequestration) and maintaining a healthy meadow ecosystem. The method also results in excellent beef, grass-finished to perfection!
Lawnmower Lamb - 100% Grassfed
Lambs supply all the health benefits of grassfed beef in a smaller package. Likewise, they have a similar restorative effect on the land, but their smaller size makes them more maneuverable in tight spaces, making them the perfect lawnmowers! Using portable electric fencing that can be formed to fit any shape and size we need, we rotate our flock of sheep around the house, along the driveway, and anywhere else that would be too challenging and risky to try to squeeze cattle. We move them to fresh pasture regularly, and provide the land plenty of rest. This method simulates the mobbing and moving behavior of wild ruminants on native grasslands.
Pasture Purifier Eggs
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Our flock of “Pasture Purifier” chickens share the land with our cattle in a long-standing symbiotic relationship between birds and large ruminants. The hens eat insects, stimulate grass growth with their scratching at the ground, and fertilize the soil. They protect the cows from disease by keeping fly populations low and breaking the parasite cycle. We use portable electric fence to create a “limited free range” environment where they are protected from predators. This also allows us to easily move them to new pasture regularly.
- Our sheep and cattle receive only locally grown hay as feed when the pasture can’t provide enough forage. They also receive a free choice natural mineral supplement to replace whatever our soil might be missing.
- Our Chickens and pigs receive only Certified Organic grain in addition to what they forage for themselves. They also receive plenty of locally grown hay through the winter to replace the fresh grass and forbs in their pasture diet.
- We put a small amount of Certified Organic raw apple cider vinegar in the drinking water of all our animals to promote healthy digestive systems.