Discover Sustainable Farming: Shady Grove Farm
Shady Grove Farm: Where Real Food Grows
Randy Buchler of Shady Grove Farm U.P. introduces young children to rabbits raised on the farm. Community members are always welcome to Shady Grove to pet the animals and learn about their sustainable farming practices. (photo by Ron Caspi)
Marquette is the kind of community that really has it all. The nature and the beaches go on forever in every direction and the town itself offers community and comradery. With the small town feel it also offers amenities of the big city and of the farm life. Marquette isn’t so bad for a kid either. Hoop houses are being kick started and completely maintained on school grounds, there are green smoothie tours at the Marquette Food Co-op and field trips to local farms where kids can hold bunnies, collect eggs and plant seeds for tomato plants.
Teyan Buchler helps children from a local Marquette preschool plant tomato seeds during their class trip to the Shady Grove Farm U.P. in Gwinn, Michigan. (photo by Ron Caspi)
Early this spring I joined a group of preschoolers for a field trip to Shady Grove Farm. Randy Buchler and his son Teyan spent several hours of their morning walking us through a typical day on the farm. When I asked Randy where his inspiration comes from he told me that it is important to supply food with integrity and to inspire others to take some control of their own food. As a farmer, he tries to teach everyone to take some responsibility in planting and growing food, to learn about the food you are buying, shake your farmer’s hand and come to the farmer’s market.
Randy has several more groups of children coming to tour the farm throughout the summer months and after my time with him I feel confident that each child will leave inspired. Randy is kind and gentle with his animals and their space. He is resourceful with what he puts into the farm and his favorite part is getting kids excited about playing in the dirt, planting seeds, and getting educated about where food comes from. This is a real farm. A place where the chickens, bunnies, sheep and pigs are happy. A place where children will find so much contentment in the sun and dirt that they too will inspire their families and friends.
Randy was excited to have the children come and plant seeds and collect eggs, hoping that sending them home with some fresh eggs and tomato starts will further inspire them and their families to grow some food of their own, plant wild flowers to feed the bees, maybe even get chickens or at least stop by the farmer’s market for some local nourishment.
About The Farm
Randy and Libby moved to the land outside out of Marquette in 2001, a six and a half acre space that had been in her family since the 1940’s. It all began with some fencing that they found in an old storage unit, the fencing went up and the first garden was planted. Soon the chickens came, starting with 25 up to 50 then 75, now about 300 chickens live happily at Shady Grove Farm. Over the years Randy sustained a back and spinal injury and was diagnosed with Lyme disease; giving up his demanding work schedule of two jobs he began making the farm his occupation. The gardens expanded, hoop houses were installed, the chickens multiplied, there are sheep for wool, bunnies for meat, strawberries and healing herbs galore, and with that, the perfect permaculture was created.
Randy Buchler of Shady Grove Farm U.P. waters the hugelkultur mounds they have begun implemening on the farm as part of their sustainable farming practices. (photo by Ron Caspi)
They believe it is their job as farmers to keep the soil alive, and in turn the soil keeps the plants alive. Living on a farm in a sustainable way allows natural balance, so the family focuses on using organic compost for feed, using manure to better enrich the soil and they will soon be collecting rain water for the gardens. They have also put into place a hugelkultur garden space where oversized raised mounds are built on top of rotting wood. This creates a perfect balance of carbon and nitrogen for healthy soil, it also is known for retaining heat and moisture so it stays warm and wet longer making it ideal for places with short growing seasons. The mounds allow an increase in growing space without having a lot of ground cover and the north and south facing sides will yield crops at alternating times to allow a succession harvest.
Along with adopting the hugelkultur mounds they have also invented the perfect ground covers for their strawberry fields. While Randy was trying to find a safe and natural product he realized he could reuse his 3-ply paper animal feed bags. The family spent many hours cutting and slicing the bags to lay flat over the mounds, helping to lock in moisture and heat and keep the weeds from growing. They use the wool from the sheep for the Wooly Mama products, Libby also grows a variety of perennials for dying the wool. They do harvest some of their animals, but not without a ceremony and a heavy heart as they truly appreciate the animals and animal food in their lives.
You can find Shady Grove Farm at the farmer’s market and their eggs can be purchased farm direct and enjoyed at The Marq and Babycakes.
Find Shady Grove Farm on Facebook or reach Randy at shadygrovefarmup@gmail.com
Teyan Buchler of the Shady Grove Farm U.P. in Gwinn, Michigan finds a unique way to carry baby bunnies raised on their sustainable farm. (photo by Ron Caspi)
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