About Us
Know Your Farmer
Core Values: God, Family, and Country
“Back in the day” most people were involved in agriculture, either growing up on the farm or having some close relative who farmed. As the Industrial Revolution took hold, more people moved to the cities and started gradually creeping away from the small, family farm. People lost touch with the origin of their food. Most people today would be hard pressed to know a farmer at all.
It’s a New Day! Not only do people want healthier food, but they want to know where their food comes from, how it’s grown and the environment the animals live in. This isn’t too much to ask. After all, food is one of the most important things that you put into your body. It is the building block for good health.
Conservation
Before starting our farming operation, much consideration was placed upon the purpose of the types of animals we wanted to raise. Hours of research pointed us towards The Livestock Conservancy, a non-profit group created in the mid-1970’s to preserve the genetic resources embodied in traditional breeds of livestock and poultry, due to the rapid selective cross-breeding in the commercial livestock industry.
Their core values aligned with our desire to sustain heritage breeds by ‘giving back’, making a difference and supporting a worthy cause. So, the die was cast and the mission established to set our sights on raising heritage breeds. In conjunction with our multi-species philosophy, we started with the Scottish Highland cattle and eventually added the Leicester Longwool sheep and various rare chicken breeds.
Why the Conservation of rare breeds?
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Protects our food system by securing genetic resources
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Ensures broad genetic diversity & retains valuable genetic traits
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Preserves our heritage, history, and culture
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Maintains breeds well-suited for sustainable, grass-based systems
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Provides small farms a competitive edge
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Broadens the marketplace with diverse fiber and flavorful foods
Raised with Respect
One goal at Sutton Ridge Farm is to participate in the conservation of historic animal breeds. Animals, agriculture and mankind have a deep history… all interdependent on each other. As history’s timeline progressed, we changed the way we viewed animals as a food source. Mass-production encroached on the family farm and animals started to be bred according to the demands of the marketplace. It was not important to the marketplace that animals lived a good life before becoming a part of the food chain. Instead, it was important that these animals grow bigger, faster, and cheaper! We don’t subscribe to that idea. The animals that occupy our farm enjoy a carefree life.
We all know most things that are worthwhile require carefully invested time to achieve maximum potential. Here at Sutton Ridge, we strive for that potential through patience, diligence and hard work.
Sustainable & Regenerative Farming
We believe there must be a diversity of crops and animals. There must be proper planning and management. There also needs to be flexibility and common sense when things don’t go as planned. Challenge is a regular visitor here on the farm, due to weather and equipment. Challenge gives us pause to be grateful for the many blessings we encounter on a regular basis. Simply enjoying and working in God’s Creation is its own reward. Plants and animals naturally work together to create and sustain a healthy environment. Crop rotation is an essential part of our farm plan. From our larger field crops of small grains and alfalfa, to the vegetable gardens and managed grazing for the livestock.
Healthy Soils reward us with...
- Nutritious crops
- Vibrant animals
- A thriving countryside