Established in 2007, we are a small, diverse family farm on the west edge of Eugene which is chemical-free and solar powered. We practice Management Intensive Grazing, moving our happy animals to fresh pasture at least once a week. All animals have access to shelter from sun and rain at all times and live uncrowded with protection from predators. We don’t harm any predators and we protect and restore wildlife habitat on our farm. On pasture we raise lamb and eggs.  We also raise vegetables and fruits which are integrated with our livestock following agroecology principles.

Where to Find Our Products

Our products are only available direct from the farm.  To purchase our products, send us an email so we can give you the details about the following options: We offer a Full-Choice CSA where members use a shopping cart on our website to choose each item they receive whenever they want (we have to set up an account for you first.)  Home delivery is an option, or you can pick up at one of our drop-sites in Eugene or at the farm.  Another option is to make an appointment to come out and buy at least $10 of products per visit, or you can reserve meat (half or whole lamb) which is custom butchered on the farm and then you pick it up from the butcher.

Production Practices

Although not organically certified, we practice organic farming methods (organic fertilizers and amendments, compost, crop rotation, cover crops.) We do not spray. For pest control, we use hens and ducks around the gardens, and sheep in the orchard, while also providing habitat for natural predators. In addition to forage obtained in our pastures and woods, our animals get certified organic feed and our sheep get non-GMO hay. To protect our animals from predators, we use electric fencing and keeping the poultry enclosed at night.

Grazing, Pasture and Nutrient Management Practices

We have one 6 acre non-irrigated pasture where the flock of sheep is enclosed in a  portable fence and moved every 5 days. In the winter and the summer, the grass doesn’t grow enough so they get supplemental hay in a portable hay feeder.  In the spring, the grass grows too much so we mow each paddock after the sheep leave it.   We also graze the sheep in our small irrigated orchard and front pasture, and sometimes we graze the sheep on our cover crops in our crop areas.  Our small flock of chickens and ducks have continual access to our orchard

For soil maintenance, we do soil testing and apply lime, compost, and other amendments as needed.

The only chemicals we use are chemical wormers occasionally, and only after fecal testing shows a specific animal needs worming. For our crops, we plant flowers to bring in the beneficial insects, we retain, restore, and create habitat for bug-eating birds, frogs, and snakes, we keep ducks and chickens near the garden, we do soil testing and apply the needed minerals to grow healthy plants that can resist insects, we vacuum up large populations of pests, we keep sheep in the orchard to eat the windfall apples full of pests, and we pick up all apples not eaten. We manage weed control with grazing, mowing, tilling, hoeing, solarizing, mulching, hand-removal, and other non-toxic methods.

The sheep are always being moved on pasture so their manure is spread that way. For the animals that spend some time inside, we use a compost bedding pack barn system based on sawdust. We tend it every 2-4 weeks depending on animal numbers and season.

Environmental Conservation

We have put up birdhouses, removed invasive plants, planted native plants, put chicken wire around madrona tree trunks to stop the livestock from eating the bark, and kept our animals away from the pond so that riparian vegetation can survive and expand there. We have removed very few trees and put our crop areas in three separate places to avoid the need to remove trees. Our tiny tractor is used infrequently since we do most work by hand and traverse the farm by foot or bicycle. We make biochar out of branches or take them to a nearby composting facility. We recycle almost everything and produce less than 32 gallons of garbage per month. We have put up solar panels to power the farm and we deliver products in an electric vehicle.  In 2021 we stopped tilling and increased our use of cover crops and mulch in order to improve soil health and sequester carbon in our soils.

Contact Information

To purchase our products, please send us an email at livingearthfarm@comcast.net