Piedmont Pastures Farm
Small scale, ecologically driven, beyond organic farming in the heart of Virginia's Piedmont.
About
Piedmont Pastures is a small scale family farm located in Troy, Virginia that specializes in organically grown vegetables, herbs, cut flowers, and pasture raised poultry.The farm is ecologically driven, which means that we work with nature rather than fighting against it. We practice no till agriculture, and work to consistently add to the soil on the farm which in turn helps us to increase soil resilience and fertility while also allowing us to grow the highest quality food possible. Additionally, we use absolutely zero synthetic additives or chemicals on our farm. Whether its the tomatoes in our high tunnels or the chickens in our back fields, everything you see is as natural as it comes.Finally, we run our farm in a way that we call beyond organic, which means that although we are not currently certified organic, we follow even stricter rules and practices than what is required to become certified. Why not get certified then? We plan on it some day! For now the cost and time commitment to become certified is too high for where we are in our journey.Interested in learning more about our farming practices? Click Here!
What does beyond organic mean?
We Use No Synthetic Chemicals or GMOsAlthough petroleum-based fertilizers and pesticides are not allowed under current organic standards, many other herbicides, pesticides, and chemicals such as Ammonium Carbonate, Boric Acid, Ethanol, Copper Sulfate, and more are allowed to be used while still being certified organic. At Piedmont Pastures, we chose to forgo the use of any and all chemical sprays and refuse to introduce anything that is synthetic or genetically modified to our farm.
We Are Pro BugNot only do we not use pesticides, but we actually promote bugs on our farm, especially beneficial insect species such as lacewings, ladybugs, honeybees, etc. We do this by including a wide range of cover crops and flowering plants on the farm that promote a healthy environment for these beneficial insects, and by never introducing any form of chemical that could negatively impact the insects that call our farm home.
We Practice Regenerative AgricultureWe do everything we can to stay in tune with nature and the biology of our farm. Multi-national corporations now own more than 80% of organic labels found on supermarket shelves, and there are hundreds of farms and agricultural businesses around the nation that are certified organic yet include nothing but multi hundred-acre mono-culture croplands, or barn-bound 2,000 cow dairy operations. We believe in small farms that focus more on giving back to the land, healing the soil, and promoting a broader understanding of what it takes to do so.
We Are No TillThe earth loses roughly 23 billion tons of fertile soil every year, and we intend to do our part in mitigating that. Tilling the soil, especially each time crops are rotated, kills the microorganisms in the soil while promoting erosion and increasing evaporation rates. By using no-till practices on our farm we work to improve the overall structure and health of our soils while establishing large communities of beneficial soil microorganisms and fungi, all of which aids in creating the most delicious and nutrient dense food possible.
Contact
Do you have questions or comments? We would love to hear from you!Shoot us an email and we will get back to you within two business days.