The Oyster: A Vital Part of Our Ecosystem Did you know the average oyster takes 2-3 years to reach the "ready to eat" size? Incredibly, they are more than just a delicacy—they're essential to the health of our waterways. Wild oyster populations have declined to just 1% of what they were in the 1800's, a staggering statistic that highlights the importance of conservation efforts. Oysters are natural filter feeders, meaning they draw in water, filter out pollutants like nitrogen and phosphorus, and release cleaner water back into the ecosystem. One adult oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water a day! By improving water quality, they support the overall health of marine habitats and the creatures that depend on them.

Yesterday evening was a memorable first for the kids and me! Pictured above is Allison Huysman, a PhD student with the Smithsonian, involved with the "Virginia Working Landscape" project. We are fortunate to host Allison at the Rucker cottage this season as she conducts her bluebird-specific research at our location.

I wanted to share a thought-provoking quote from Aldo Leopold's "A Sand County Almanac" with you: "There are two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other that heat comes from the furnace."

So how does all this pertain to farming? I think this is a Regenerative approach to our health. We are allowed to keep healing simple. We can use what we have available....

This morning Garrett and I were skimming through the latest issue of The Stockman Grassfarmer and I read a blurb of Joel Salatin's Meadow Talk, loosely quoting Allan Nation he said, "Profitable farms have a threadbare look." I think far too often people look to social media, Southern Living, or gosh, even childrens books and get a romanticized idea of what a well cared for farm looks like. I am guilty of this! Rolling white board fences, short manicured pastures, rows of tilled soil in a garden, a large green tractor and bailer, a cupola on the barn roof with a rooster weathervane...this all takes a lot of time and money.

Wow everyone, it's been absolutely wild out here! I know we are not alone in this. You'd have to be living under a rock if you weren't affected by the super blue moon or this heat wave. I do believe the end is in sight though, rain clouds are showing up in the 10-day and we pray that we can all catch a drink.

This is a call to action that we have to remind one another that nature is so profoundly intelligent. Unfortunately, it would be our species to think that we could outsmart her work. We are dabbling in territory that is not ours to dabble in. This applies to large scale, conventional farming as well--this sort of manipulation was never natures design. This is why we are drawn to regenerative and biodynamic practices, it's because we are not putting ourselves in a position of an "all knowing, power". We are natures students. We have so much to learn from observing and participating in the cycles of life, the microbiology of the soil, and forces we may not ever fully know.

Garrett and I have truly valued the part of farming that creates community. There have been many important connections and paths crossed that have made our small business feel like a part of something much greater, like we have found our life’s work and we have the support. This regenerative farming movement has placed mentors into our grasp that we otherwise would not have found, several local and others as far away as Missouri. “A rising tide lifts all boats” is a quote that keeps coming to mind when I think of what is happening here.

As you know, Garrett and I care a lot about food. Our lifestyle and - at times - our identity feel wrapped around growing food and searching for the answers to “what is healthy?” This journey has not been linear and there is no true destination. The topic of food and diet is a very personal one. It’s touchy, and these days, should perhaps be considered in the same discussion category as religion and politics.

We are writing this letter on a soggy spring morning. We are thankful for this big gulp of rain; the grass has turned green overnight. It’s hard to ignore the amount of growth and change around us! The spring ephemeral flowers have already come and gone. All of our sheep have had their lambs, seeds are largely in the garden beds, our first batch of chickens are on pasture.