Our Practices
How We Farm
NO STEROIDS, ANTIBIOTICS OR VACCINES
It starts with the soil care…
The world is rapidly running out of soil. The way that food is produced today is unsustainable. Food is grown in the top layer of soil called “top soil”, but did you know that nearly half of that soil has disappeared in the last 150 years? The UN predicts that if we keep going at this pace, we could run out of our topsoil in the next 60 years. For us here at Chucktown Acres, we are doing our part to change those numbers.
More than organic and more than sustainable, we are regenerative in our approach to food production. Why would you want to “sustain” those above statistics? You wouldn’t. You would want to regenerate what we are losing and we believe our farming practices have the ability to do so. Our goal is to leave this Lowcountry land better than we found it. We don’t use any steroids, antibiotics or vaccines!
Livestock
Short term disturbance followed by long term rest equals healthier, more vibrant soil and forage. To facilitate this, we move our animals EVERYDAY. This allows them to have fresh pasture to consume but also moves them away from their manure and grazed forage. This is a co-laborer approach to farming and animal husbandry. They help us by invigorating the soil and fertilizing it, and we keep them moving so they have the best environment and forage they can access. What follows as the land rests is an explosion of soil life that is metabolizing the manure. As the pasture begins to re-grow, carbon is being pulled from the atmosphere by the plant and stored in the soil where it belongs.
Local, No Spray Produce
We are not typical in our approach to growing produce. With the power of compost and soil amendments, we are doing all we can to add to the soil, not take from it. Our goal is to invigorate microbial life, not kill it. This is why we never spray our vegetables with synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, insecticides or any other toxic chemicals that destroy soil life.
Did you know that many of the fruits and vegetables that you buy at the store are not grown here in the US? In fact, many of them are shipped in from a completely different hemisphere! The produce that you receive from Chucktown Acres is hand-planted, hand-harvested, and hand-delivered to you, locally. We grow what you and your family already love to eat, but now you can eat fresh produce grown only miles from your home.
Chucktown Acres is a regeneration journey. Earth Care is the center of everything that we do.
It is why we move our animals every day. It is why we grow our produce without toxic chemicals. We exist to see this Lowcountry land restored to abundance and beauty. It is not something that we can do overnight, but with joy, we commit to healing the land and bringing the best, nutrient-dense food to our community.