Sustainable simply means that which can be created in such a manner as to thrive through adaptation and change.   Farming has been so many behaviors over the years we frequently forget that the goal with farming is not only what we can produce by our own efforts, but that our efforts should live on and be productive, informative, and as multifacited as is necessary to support both the land and people.

Firth of Fifth Acres embraces the 3 goals of Sustainable Agriculture:  Environmental health, Economic profitability and Social/Economic equity.  By careful attention to the nature of the land one works, our entire environment is enriched.  By careful attention to how one chooses and supports any agricultural endevour, a realistic living can be realized.  And all efforts combined should serve community through responsible, respectful and fair interaction.

The nature of this land -abruptly moving hills and limited water sources- forced our livestock type toward those with lighter weight and more chewing, less pulling of forage.  Choosing sheep as a species that could make best use of this land, our next step was to find compatable and improving other additions.  The geese certainly do this as they follow behind the sheep, cleaning, grooming and leaving yet another "fertilizer" on the land. 

We have found that our land graciously offers us an obvious product of our efforts that goes beyond the sheep (wool, meat and stock) themselves.  We use a Troy-Bilt vacuum in our holding paddock each day.  By this method of land management we are able to encourage a very healthy environment (holistic and non-chemical) for our sheep.  Local greenhouses enjoy the skirtings from our fleeces for their potted plants.  Our mix of baleage/manure (fall and winter) and pure manure (spring and summer) contains no chemicals and offers our surrounding family gardeners a fine fertilizer at a reasonable price.

Our farm has received Federal grants for Intensive Rotational Grazing (IRG) and we were pleased to be able to work entirely with our local community in order to complete this project.