TC Farm 2022 Member Tour

The TC Farm Member Tour on Saturday October 1, 2022, was a huge success! Thanks to all of our members who were able to stop by with families and friends! It was a beautiful day with just a few spotty showers and gorgeous fall colors!

Kerry shares more with members about our Randall Lineback cattle and Horned Dorsett sheep.

Jack sharing about TC Farm Hogs and what is different about how we raise them

There were a few passing showers during the day but otherwise the weather and colors were just beautiful.

Members were able to learn more about how rotational grazing builds up topsoil and has been shown to capture so much carbon that eating beef raised this way results in a net negative green house gas emissions.

"Thank you to everyone that was responsible for the farm tour and the lunch. It was a great experience, and wonderful to see all the love and care and hard work that goes into everything that you and your farming partners do." -Member Feedback

While last year's member tour focused on three of our organic produce farms, this year's tour centered on Kerry Skelton's farm where he raises cows, pigs and sheep for TC Farm. Kerry's farm is focused on breed preservation and improving soil health / carbon capture to reduce climate change.

This year's tour was easily our busiest tour to date! A big thank you to TC Farm's Casey who parked members' cars (and found a second overflow parking area in the north field when things got fuller than we'd anticipated)!

Because of the number of members and guests, our tours started every 30 minutes or so instead of waiting until the top of the hour.

Kerry talked about sheep and cows (His Randall Lineback cattle he raises as breed preservation and Horned Dorsett sheep which are TC Farm lambs), how we raise ruminants differently at TC Farm and why it is helpful to have both species raised together to reduce disease.

Jack was there to share more about our pigs on the tours, letting members know just how great pigs are and how important it is for them to live in place where their welfare is so high. They love being outside and running around, digging in the dirt (and snow in the winter). Plus Jack shared a bit more about why TC Farm pigs take longer to raise:

"Pigs fed the normal corn/soy diet grow faster (in about 6 months as compared to TC Farm's 8 months). But the corn/soy diet for other pigs is pushing them to the extreme and they overtly less healthy. They just can't handle all that energy. Pigs digest food a lot like we do, so when TC Farm feeds them a balanced diet of organic cereal grains and pasture, they are much healthier. Can you imagine how you'd feel if you ate only corn and soy all day long?" -Jack

Also, a huge thank you to TC Farm's Eli, who helped expedite the tours by gathering our members together and keeping things moving from one station to the next. (And sometimes jumping in to lead a station when Jack was still on another one!)

There were so many great questions ranging from how we manage our land to what the animals do in the winter and great questions about the different coloration and breeds of the animals.

We'll totally keep sharing more in member news and the public blog about the difference -- there really is just such a difference in the way we raise things. That's why we started TC Farm in the first place!

And (of course!) The Food

The food was a huge hit! Thanks to TC Farm's Alex and everyone else who helped serve up great meals for so many of our members!

Our members loved the pulled pork and salmon burgers! The apple cabbage slaw and broccoli salad were both such huge hits, we're sharing the recipes with everyone (below).

"The food was deliciously healthy!" -Member Feedback

A big thank you, too, to TC Farm's Josh and Annie who burned the midnight oil getting everything lined up in advance and ready to go by 10am Saturday!

It was great to see so many familiar faces and new faces too! We can't wait for our next event and we're looking forward to next year when we plan to have a tour open to the public again!