Over the past two centuries, U.S. population growth and food production methods have stressed and degraded our dirt. But the 163-year-old Carriage House Farm, owned and run by five generations of the Stewart family, is part of a growing movement to change this.
Richard Stewart, who manages the farm, is alarmed by the amount of nutrients that have been removed from soil due to conventional farming methods. His hope is to move away from growing animal feed, like corn and soybeans, and only grow things that people eat.
Recently, he converted 60 acres of his 300-acre farm to produce fruits, vegetables, honey, and a line of vinegar, and he’s learned how to naturally use plants instead of chemicals to keep away invasive species.
The goal, overall, is to improve soil quality and thus increase the nutrients in our food, a movement that is gaining traction across the Midwest.
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