In 2007, I unknowingly imported sterile soil for a new flower bed and a raised tomato box.  Hundreds of dollars and a fruitless summer later, I realized my green thumb had been betrayed by a soil depleted of beneficial bacteria and life.   Once I realized there were no easy fixes I began asking the question, “How do I bring back fertility to dead soil?”  My research ultimately landed me in Raleigh, North Carolina at the National Worm Conference.  Cornell University seduced me with the amazing role worms play in healthy soil.  This is the genesis of Our Ground Up Farm.   

Upon my return from the worm conference, I began looking for cow manure to compost and begin a worm farm only to find all the cows were now confined in closed dairies.  Frustrated with the inability to feed and nurture worms I committed to a year-long biodynamic gardening class.  I had no idea what I was signing up for; I just wanted to up my game and expose my culinary son to a class where he would learn to garden.  Little did I know that cows and cow manure were the heart and soul of biodynamic farming.  Rudolph Steiner, the founder of Waldorf schools became my guru.  

While at Rudolph Steiner College I attended a presentation by Dr. Natasha McBride-Campbell who is now synonymous with the Gut and Psychology Diet, (GAPS Diet).  Her presentation was listed as ADD, IBS, and Autism.  I had never witnessed these conditions in the same sentence and my curiosity was definitely intrigued.  My family members were struggling with modern day digestive issues, my office staff were having bathroom wars, my daughter-in-law as a teacher was on the front lines of the ADD insanity, and I was going to be a grandmother soon and rightfully so I was afraid of Autism.  During the presentation the doctor made reference to the Weston A. Price Foundation numerous times.  Unfamiliar to me and with the help of Amazon I received a copy of Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions.  I would soon become immersed in the world of traditional and nutrient dense food never to look back.   

Life is a journey and the older we become the more we come to realize there are no accidents.  By the time we finished the biodynamic gardening class in 2009 I realized my desire for a cow was intense.  I wanted biologically alive raw milk for my family and I wanted the manure to compost as fertility for what was to become a real live farm.  

There is a steep learning curve becoming a raw milk producer.  Because I was in a 4-H beef program in high school I understood how to handle large animals.  Dairy cows are completely different in temperament and nutritional demands.  For the record the average cow in a confinement dairy may live to be 4 years old where my cows have the opportunity to produce for possibly 12 years.  Just like a human mother a cow’s nutrition is paramount to producing healthy  milk.  I was of the mind that if I were going to be producing raw milk I would align myself with the Raw Milk Institute to support their goals and create a risk assessment management plan to ensure that I would be producing healthy safe raw milk.  As a condition of my certification with the Raw Milk Institute I test my milk once a month by taking samples and shipping overnight to an independent lab.  The test results are listed at RawMilkInstitute.com under Listed Farmers.  

-Susan