Small Scale Revival is dedicated to demonstrating methods that work to make small farms return ecologically, socially, and economically. We showcase methods from our home farm Wild East Farm as well as take you to other small farms that are earning a decent livelihood while benefitting their community and the soil. Join us in this adventure!
Our home, Wild East Farm, is a 44-acre beauty in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The landscape is a diverse mix of open pastures, flowing streams, and woodlands.
We envision a contiguous farm ecosystem that will take decades to develop. In the early years, we are producing crops that are familiar, reliable, and economically viable for a new farm business including annual vegetables and pastured poultry. All the while, we have established agroforestry plantings over 12 acres and are preparing the land to holistically graze ruminants- with intentions to transition to these forms of production over time.
Wonderful video, Noah. I love how you showed the many influences you had on your decision to farm. What caught my attention was your realization of how family, sports, school, and so on are present in who you are today! Thank you!
we make a permanent training pen with hard panel on the outside and poly wire on the inside and keep the pigs in for ~ 2 weeks. Since its permanent, we use a deep litter system with woodchips and refresh per batch of pigs and at the end of the season we put the entire pen's worth of woodchips in windrows to compost for a year then spread on the fields. Also, we put hog panel beneath the waterer so they don't root and make wallows at their waterer. We put rebar into the ground and bend the end to hold the hog panel in the ground.
That was great. It's been clear from the start that you look at farming as your true calling. Hearing a bit about your background and life's journey not only confirms it but also provides some excellent context for your videos. Keep up the great work!
I bought 1.5 acres to grow food at 75 +. I have lots of gardens , carpot//greenhouse, 3 fruit trees and many berries. I have 2 hens for eggs. Wonderful neighbours and not on the city.
Love hearing the intention to maintain the market garden with hand tools only. It seems so big for that! When clearing beds at the end of a crop and also planting starts, are you doing that all by hand?
Love hearing the intention to maintain the market garden with hand tools only. It seems so big for that! When clearing beds at the end of a crop and also planting starts, are you doing that all by hand?
With baby greens we use a black silage tarp, for thicker stalked plants like brassicas, tomatoes, etc we cut out the stem just below the surface, leaving the roots and then add a bit of compost for the next crop, and for root crops the whole crop is removed leaving a fairly ready planting surface. We transplant all by hand
Love your transition of the pasture to forest, and forest to pasture. Nice turn of phrase that captures so many layers of meaning. And, your woodchip pile is glorious carbon wealth. The kind money will never buy.
how do you like the richard perkins style broiler pens vs a schooner or salatin style pen? specifically in terms of ease of movement, durability, chicken safety (predation, winds etc)?
Ease of movement 10/10 Durability better than the Salatin pens by far. We also built them out of 2x2 lumber and even though considerably more weight the bike tires makes it so even a very small person can easily move them Wind pressure probably about the same as a Salatin pen. We had a couple that were built with 1x2 blow over (no chicks under them) so that is why we went heavier. Winds can pick them up if they are too light Predation is more of a risk inherent to this. I think the #1 plus of the salatin pen is how safe they are, but there are a lot of compromises with that model in my opinion. We would not have gone with the perkins model if not for having a guardian dog present because the predation risk is so high. Aerial predators have been a minor issue so far but only when the pens were close to the woodland edge, so that can be mitigated I believe.
@smallscalerevival thanks for that. We’re running schooners and it’s just a hassle frankly, more infrastructure is more things that can break. Havent don’t the Perkins pens but totally makes sense to have a trained guardian dog present. I like what you’re doing with the channel
We got them from a local whole saler. Varieties are tifblue powderblue premier and brightwell. All good southern adapted rabbit eye blue berries that are staggered in production from early season to late season
I'm super impressed with your plans and progress towards your goals! I'm curious why you didn't interplant your long term nut field with faster producing woody crops like black locust, hazelnuts, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, mulberries, and honey locust? It seems like the natural way to get an earlier return while proceeding to your long term nut production goal. Most local SWCD offer very inexpensive bareroot native tree and shrub saplings or seedlings in the spring. In my area, bundles of 25 saplings cost between $35 and $50.
We've been interplanting with faster growing trees this year, but initially cost was a limiting factor in having high intensity plantings. The poorer soils in this pasture also don't facilitate us deciding to plant many high value perennials in here, but the nut trees can thrive nonetheless.
Sorry, but your understanding of natives and invasives is entirely wrong. I know what you are saying is the scientific consensus, but that consensus is dangerous flawed. I could go on endlessly about why, but I'd rather just refer you to the work of David Theodoropoulos until I have my own articles available. Don't let bad science inform your good intentions.
Part of embracing complexity in my mind is understanding that different viewpoints on topics like this have value. The pendulum swing of “invasive plants are totally benign” makes sense in the face of the broad scale chemical warfare. I think there is nuance to the conversation, but for our goals of converting this woodland into a shaded pasture with woody perennials that produce mast for native wildlife, privet, multiflora rose, and bittersweet don’t really have a role. I appreciate your comment but I don’t think anyone knows who is right or who is wrong on this topic, it’s just a sea of opinions. The important part is that any action or inaction towards managing land and the plants on them is done with intention and skillful touch
Thank you for sharing! I am planning to start my own market garden in probably a year and it helps me a lot all your information. I am trully inspired!
great video! whats your thought on living pathways like clover? and do you ever use a BCS in the market garden? Very impressed by all you are accomplishing
We aren’t currently considering living pathways, but could be an option in the future. We don’t use a bcs at all. Our bed flips just use broadfork, tilther, bed rake
Another great video. We grow on a residential garden plot in Wales UK. Using straw on paths in our setting seemed to favour slugs. We went back to Woodchips. But as you say adapt to circumstances!
Good points about the wood chips. I’ve also had this issue particularly with lower lying beds. I’d not really thought about using straw but do have quite a bit of it. Looking forward to seeing the “jungle” that will develop in your caterpillar tunnels. Hope this will be a great and productive year for you!
Overtime the beds should raised every time you add compost, as it is now low the wood chip can easily mix with the soil on the bed. Finding the wood chip for free or cheaply is key, even if they are sitting in piles for a year or two once you get a the paths established.
In my opinion, your videos are one of the best-kept secrets on RU-vid. I am constantly impressed with your ability to explain your plans and accomplishments in layman's terms that even I can understand. I am amazed that you have learned so much in such a short time. It is encouraging to those of us who are just entering your world. Thanks for sharing.
Agreed - I learned about this channel from the interview No Till Growers did. Hoping that that will get them more exposure too. This is really a great channel!
Hi Noah. My wife and I are on a hectare in the Waikato district of New Zealand. Just wanted to say appreciate your videos. Your a young guy with a plan and your working the plan. Keeping going, stick at it and the numbers will pick- what your saying and how your saying it is worth listening to. Take care. Kerry
I have a small farm with sheep. They are great!!! They don't destroy the ground. They are quiet. They stay in the fence. They eat everything constantly and they poop a lot. They can deliver a young lamb in their first yr so the rate of growth is far greater than cows. I think you will like them. There are some web sites that can show you how to make a great deal of money with Dorper sheep.
I just saw your video with No Till and am super excited to follow you. I haven't watched this video yet but am particularly interested in forest management. So I cannot wait to see what you have to say. Charlie
We have 80 acres of native hardwood forest on our property, it's amazing how many ephemerals reappear in the spring with some quality TSI done in the area
Great video. Watching from across the pond in Wales. We have similar issues with the disappearance of small family farms over the last century and the loss of rural community that has caused. Hopefully it can be reversed and we’ll see a return of people to the land.
Awesome video! Thanks to No-Till Growers for putting you on last Sunday’s video, allowing us to now follow your channel. My wife and I are on a similar journey and this kind of inspiration is helpful. Congratulations on your journey so far, and we look forward to watching you grow!
Thanks for the video, its great to see yall follow through. Though its a bit late it might be worth half a day of walking the young trees and pruning off the crossed branches - no need to have the roots feed what will eventually be an issue. Just an opinion and I hope you guys continue on with your dream.
