MESA FARM MARKET

     We are sure that a successful future for the planet will depend on sustainable communities.  A sustainable community  consists of local enterprises working to  meet the needs of the people. Local food and fiber production is an essential part of each community. The food and fiber must be produced in a sustainable way.
    Sustainable agriculture is agriculture that is able to produce abundant food and fiber without harming the environment and without depleating the resources. At Mesa Farm Market we are working to make our farm and our community more sustainable.
    Its cyclical, its sustainable, its natural and its basic.

    Corporate agribusiness is based on the assumption that nature, land, insects, disease and even the plants themselves can be manipulated and subdued. This is a false assumption. Working on this assumption is causing harm. There is a place for science and discovery in our agricultural system. But science must work with nature, not against it.
    Sustainable agriculture differs from corporate agriculture because it recognizes that nature does not need to be subdued, it needs to be understood. Sustainable agriculturalists recognize that people are  a part of nature and that people  are healthiest and happiest when they live in harmony with the natural system. 

   Pasture is the foundation of the farm system at Mesa Farm.  The pasture feeds the animals.  While the animals are grazing on the pasture they drop manure back onto the pasture. The manure returns to the soil and enriches the soil. The enriched soil feeds the plants of the pasture. The animals also drop manure in the housing where they shelter. This manure is composted and integrated into the garden soil.   The enriched garden soil feeds the plants. The plants feed us. We care for the animals.     
    We work with fifty acres at Mesa Farm.  We have one 45' x 25' greenhouse. We use this greenhouse  to grow our vegetable transplants and also for the production of early tomatoes and other assorted vegetables. We also have one 75' x 24' high tunnel. We produce early greens and lettuce in the warm protection of this structure and later turn it into a shade structure where we are able to produce greens and lettuce in the cooler environment it offers.
    We have three acres of irrigated pasture where we grow the plants that provide substantial nutrients for the dairy goats. This pasture is maintained using a management intensive  system.  We use a net fence to enclose an area. The dairy goats are confined to this area. When the plants have been grazed to the optimal level, we move the fence and the goats to the next area. We move the goats several times each day. This management system mimics the natural system and serves to enhance the health of the pasture as well as the health of the animals. The goats are also allowed to free range on an additional area of brush and trees.
    We also have a movable chicken coop. The movable chicken system follows the goats movement within the pasture. The chickens take nutrients from the designated area and then return nutrients to the pasture.
    We have one acre that is dedicated to vegetable production. There are approximately thirty 325' rows within this one acre. We use the manure manufactured by the goats to  feed the soil of the garden.  We use drip irrigation to water the garden.
    We have one acre of fruit trees. The orchard contains fifty fruit trees. Fruit is tricky around here, but if we are lucky we  get some really tasty peaches and apples by mid summer.
    The process of establishing a truely sustainable farm is amazingly fun.   The projects that we are working on and envision for our future are endless. There  is great beauty and peace in a sustainable system.