Converting a conventional farm to an organic farm or a farm with grass-fed cattle is a challenging proposition at any time. For us the first step is getting our father, who is 87, on board. He has farmed all his life. When chemicals, in the form of pesticides and herbicides, came into being he saw improvements in productivity and less work for the farmer. He sees no reason to change.
But slowly, as we have explained why people want to eat organic meat – healthier for them and also healthier for the animals – he is starting to see that it might be worth checking out. On Friday we took him to Cattle Tracks Farm. There he was able to hear from John Gosney who has been farming organic wheat and cattle for 12 years. John was a conventional farmer for many years and his father was a farmer before him. A neighbor farmed organically and when he died his son asked John to farm their land, organically. As John saw how it worked and made more money than his own operation, he started converting his own farm to the natural way. Now he wouldn’t have it any other way. Yes, he says, he first farmed organically for the money. But now money is not the driving force. Now he knows he is doing the right thing for the environment, his family and the people who buy his products. That is what is important.
On the way home, Dad said he thought we could make the transition to grass-finished cattle. That is exciting for us. We have permission to start the change. There will be challenges – with weeds, and other issues we haven’t even thought of yet. But we will find a solution for each situation and stick to not using pestidices and herbicides. It’s a slow process but it’s good to have taken the first step.
