By Park & Rachel
Our group spent the last week living and breathing the lifestyle of Greg and Rachel Hart’s permaculture farm. We spent some early mornings doing daily farm chores that ranged from bottle feeding lambs to dodging bouts of excrement the cows habitually released whilst we milked them, standing as perfect targets, in a ditch directly below the danger zone. We can all agree it was worth it for the pristine taste of raw natural milk. Dairy flowed abundantly. Ice cream was eaten. Lactose intolerants cried uncle. We learned about the importance of sustainability and the urgency of our endangered environment.
Modern agriculture can be very harmful to the environment, releasing copious amounts of methane and carbon dioxide. The Hart farm is based on permaculture. “The development of agricultural ecosystems intended to be sustainable and self-sufficient.” This entails planting more than harvesting, using water sparingly, and letting animals have lots of space to be free. Some may think this method is less efficient but Greg disagrees. “We take a holistic approach, don’t only think about profit. Think about the people and animals involved with it”. And boy is he right, they have planted well over 100,00 trees, care for over 1000 sheep, 40 dairy cows, 150 angus heifers and hundreds of other cattle. The Hart family even stars in a couple documentaries. We were all touched by their inspiring lifestyle and plan to adopt parts in our own lives. Don’t be surprised if we come home with compostable a toothbrush and a brand new outlook on the world.
