We found a farm! We found a farm! We are alive and well because we found a farm! I didn’t realize how hungry for real food and work I was until I stepped in Sustainable Setting’s greenhouse (which my friend Marc Cavatorta helped build 7 years ago, crazy connection, good job Marc!). Rocky and I were so elated, we couldn’t stop grabbing things to eat or pet.

We got the wonderful opportunity to volunteer at Sustainable Settings Ranch, an impressive and diverse biodynamic farm in Carbondale, CO. We helped them remove some old crops from the greenhouse, and after an amazing farm lunch, stack some (extremely heavy) hay to be tarped for winter animal feed. The owner of the operation, Rose, was kind enough to give us an extensive tour and answer all our aspiring-biodynamic-farmer questions, covering everything from grass species to business models.

This farm has it ALL! They make their own biodynamic preparations, which are mystical combinations of animal, vegetable, and mineral components that are designed to “harness life forces to enhance the health and balance of a farm.” (If you want to learn more about biodynamic farming, because we’ll be talking about it a lot, read here.) In the growing season, they intensively graze their livestock to build soil organic matter and increase rainfall infiltration. They told us over the last twenty years, they have increased their soil organic matter from 3% to 10%, which is a very impressive figure! They’ve also found a creative model to sell raw dairy products to consumers in a state where it’s typically illegal to do so.

We learned so much in our day here and had an awesome time doing it. Thanks to everyone at Sustainable Settings for the hospitality!