Close to Nature

Diversity is the key to success on the Ekola family farm where they raise a variety of crops and livestock, including chickens, pigs, and dairy cows on 150 acres west of Garfield, Minnesota. Guy and Mary Ekola, along with their three children, are committed to raising their animals as humanely and close to nature as possible. As a result, all their animals are raised without antibiotics and with carefully limited veterinary care.

Most farm work is accomplished with horses, not tractors. According to Guy, “using horses makes you more intimate with the land. You feel it [the land], smell it, hear it, taste it and touch it in a way that just doesn’t happen on a tractor.” Mary and Guy firmly believe that all animals “have a personality” and that by expressing it, they have healthier livestock. Mary puts it this way, “Pigs like to be in dirt. If you let them scratch in the dirt, they don’t need iron shots [frequently used in conventional operations]. Instead, they get their minerals naturally.”

Roaming Free

Mary and Guy have 10-11 feeder pigs that they purchase at 2 months of age from a local farmer. The pigs are kept in dirt lots with access to a shed for protection from weather. They are fed a varied diet including a mixture of oats, corn and barley, and some forages. The hogs take more time to grow than their conventionally raised counterparts due to their diverse diet. They are sent to market at approximately 6 months (190 – 210 pounds). Although they are sent at a slightly lighter weight than what is customary, Mary says the weight is perfect for leaner pork products.

They also raise about 350 Cornish hens, purchased as pullets (baby chickens). The birds roam freely outside during the day. At night, they are kept in the barn for protection from predators. The chickens are fed a diet of non-medicated corn and barley, plus soybeans for protein. The chickens are also allowed to “scratch the dirt” for bugs, which Guy believes makes them more flavorful by adding diversity to their diet. Like the pigs, the free-range chickens mature more slowly than conventionally raised chickens, but Mary believes it pays off on the overall quality of the meat.

Healthy Planet

Guy and Mary also provide ground beef to the Whole Farm Cooperative. The beef produced is extra-lean and is culled from rotationally grazed dairy cows. The cows are fed a grass diet free of hormones or antibiotics. Guy believes the consumer has a large role in supporting small, independent farmers. “For the health of the planet, it’s crucial that we support small, independent farmers, where farmers are there everyday, seeing what their actions are doing – unlike the megaolopolis agriculture, where the farmers are removed from the land,” states Guy.