We last visited Boerson Farm near Green Lake, WI early last November. Since we were up at our second home in the area, we stopped by the other day to stock up on whatever they had, and see how winter is treating them. Only Mat was there, and he was kind enough to walk us around, including showing us some ambitious new initiatives they have started.
First, we stepped into their gothic-style hoop house. Right now they have a variety of herbs and vegetables growing. The air inside was thick with wonderful sage and rosemary.
Next, he pointed over to the pig pen and the new addition of some Berkshires. They hope to cross these with their existing Tamworths. In the photo below, only the brown Tams are visible, the black Berkshires are behind the hay station.
Mat then showed us another exciting new venture: entering the bovine world. They struck an agreement with their friends who own nearby Honey Creek Farm, to borrow a group of calves in order to build some manure, which in the method devised by Joel Salatin, will be laced with a few bushels of corn, and stacked with more hay all winter. Come spring, after the calves go back home to Honey Creek, the corn will have fermented, and the Boersons will turn their pigs loose to root around in the stacked, corn-laced hay to be “pigaerated”, speeding up the aerobic decomposition. The result will be very fertile composted manure for use around the farm. But as part of their deal with Honey Creek, they will be keeping one of the calves, with a goal to eventually build a herd.
It was great to see the progress they’ve made toward their dreams just since November! And, as before, we stocked up on a bunch of pork cuts and wonderful vegetables. We can say unequivocally that their pork chops are the best we’ve ever had. If you’re ever within a reasonable distance of Green Lake County, it’s worth a call to see what they have on hand.
Tags: Local Food, small wisconsin farm, Sustainable Farming, wisconsin family farm
