Improving the Environment

Just north of Sauk Centre, Minnesota, a few miles off Highway 27, you will find the lush green landscape of Marty and Georgiann’s 198-acre Primus Fresh-Air-Farm. Here they live with their four children, Meagan, Joshua, Benjamin and Abbeylyn where they are dedicated to the idea of improving the environment by keeping the land covered with perennial forages. The thicker forage creates more organic matter in the soil and, according to Marty; more carbon is cleared out of the air. This is because carbon is stored in the organic matter created by the soil. The Farm promotes thick forage by grazing dairy cattle on their pastures.

By living in Sauk Centre, a historic dairy region, Marty and Georgiann have a good farming infrastructure to support their dairy farm, while the dairy cow itself, they believe, has a dual purpose. The cows produce high-quality food such as meat, milk, and cheeses while creating a soothing grassland savanna for the people and visitors at the Farm to enjoy.

Connecting Consumers to the Land

Although 128 acres of the farm is tillable, Marty has opted to rotationally graze his dairy cows and chickens. Marty believes the lush pastures and clean environment give their animal products an extra freshness.

The Farm has been in Georgiann’s family since the 1940’s; however, Marty and Georgiann began working the farm in 1983. Marty switched from conventional milking to rotational grazing 10 years ago for a variety of reasons, including work load, health concerns and personal preference.

At first Marty decided to pasture his dwindling herd in order to make time for other projects. Marty’s son, Josh, had also developed allergies, which made it difficult for him to be in the enclosed environment of the barn. Finally, Marty liked the look of green on the countryside – “I figured the more green stuff, the better.”

Marty reflects his concern for the health of the environment and the community in the way he farms. He utilizes his animals as much as possible to replace the use of fossil fuel on his farm. In fact, Marty relies on his trusty 25-speed bike to take him out to help him move the cows from pasture to pasture. The farm is, for the most part, self-sustaining. He purchases grain from local growers to use as feed to supplement his herd. In recent years Marty became involved in the direct marketing of his products because he wants to provide consumers with a connection to the land and show people that you can still make a decent living farming in today’s economy.

Low-input Farming

Marty states that the dairy cow’s every instinct is conducive to the grassland environment. Since a grass plant savannah thrives in an environment where it is trimmed every few weeks, pasture health and diversity is promoted by rotating the cattle every three weeks. Not only does the cow trim the grass, but the hoof action, which aerates the top inch or two of the soil, adds oxygen while it breaks down microbes for the soil to better utilize. This makes a perfect seed bed for new perennials to grow. The Primus’ try to create a perfect environment for carbon catching perennials to grow. Marty raises a herd of 60 cows, mostly a mix of:

• Jerseys
• Ayreshires
• Milking Shorthorns
• Dutch Belts

In his breed selection, Marty strives for a small, yet hardy cow that is good for low-input farming. Ninety young stock also graze the farm. Marty markets his steers for beef in November and June. He prefers the smaller cuts of beef to the conventional so that he does not overstuff the freezer or the consumer. The cows stay on pasture all year round with a “loafing barn” for shelter from nasty weather. The pastures are pesticide free and he uses urea nitrogen to help maintain adequate forage for his cows.

Marty feeds his cows corn and oat supplements which he purchases nearby as well as a natural enzyme which helps the cows digest and utilize their food more efficiently. The cattle are grouped together and fed long-grain grass as hay in the winter. Manure piled from the milking barn is composted for a year, and then returned to the pastures. Marty uses no antibiotics or medications on his dairy herd and believes that their health has increased tremendously since he switched to rotational grazing.

Natural Insect Control

Marty raises chickens as a natural form of insect control. He considers his chickens “pasture debuggers and sanitizers”. He has about 1200 Buff Orphingtons because they are good rangers and self-sustainers. He also raises Cornish Hens in pasture pens and finds that most of his customers prefer them to other kinds of chicken. The chickens are free-range and fed a mix of corn and oats, a source of energy and carbohydrates. Fresh Air Farm chickens are antibiotic free. Marty believes that each species has its niche. The species do not compete with each other, but complement each other as they strive to clean the environment.

The chickens eat fly larvae in cow-pies, which eliminated many cattle-bugging flies. The chickens then tear the cow pies, spreading the manure and fertilizing the pasture. Marty says that chickens are great foragers for a host of insect pests, and that they create a better environment for the dairy cow and the grass. Marty also uses hogs to aerate the cattle manure packs in the loafing barn during the winter. In the summer, the pigs dig around pasture cattle manure packs looking for soft kernels of corn and aerate those packs. This aids in the manure composting process and Marty likes the pigs on green pasture before they are processed.

Know Your Food

The Primus’ direct market and sell dairy products and meat at the local Whole Food Cooperative. He believes that consumers have the power to decide what kind of landscape and country they want to leave behind to the next generation. His advice to consumers who want to help independent farmers in the rural countryside is “We [farmers] are only growing what consumers want. The next time you buy pork, chicken or beef without knowing where it was raised, you will be supporting the confinement, mono-system of farming with less and less farmers. Support your neighbors and know your food.”