It was during this time, we became associated with a number of young people living and working on our family’s farm, many of whom were part of the growing environmental movement of the 60s and 70s. These young people, including some of our own children challenged us to rethink what it means, as Jesus followers, to care for His garden.

Gradually we began to understand some of the huge challenges confronting those who wish to reverse the harmful effects of modern farming: the loss of half the top soil on farms east of the Rocky Mountains in 100 years of industrial farming and the creation of a huge dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, as excess nitrogen and pesticides flow from farms down the Mississippi River.

We believe there are two basic challenges for all of us who care deeply about restoring this precious soil and water which are gifts from the Creator:

1. How do we keep healthy soil
on the farms?

2. How do we keep healthy farms
on the soil?

Presently in America we are losing two-three million areas of prime farmland per year to urban sprawl, asphalt, malls and suburbia. Just like the mud going down the Mississippi River, that land is lost forever.

In 1986, we moved to Windy Acres Farm, located in a wonderful farming area of NE Robertson County, TN. We wanted to be a small part of the solution of changing this trend by adopting organic and sustainable methods characterized by:

• Crop rotations
• Cover cropping to give green manure
  back to the soil
• Elimination of synthetic pesticides
  and herbicides
• Use of Non-GMO seeds and open pollinated
  seeds as much as possible
• Enhancement of soil aerobic biological life
• Reintroduction of cattle and sheep in
  rotation with grain crops

We have truly been blessed during these years as we have actually discovered and proven that organic farming can work and that we can be a part of the restoration of the Lord’s vineyard.

It would not have been possible without the able assistance of others who have shared in this vision of being nurturers of the land rather than exploiters, notably Sam Justice, whose passion for caring for the land has been a big encouragement for many years.

Of late, we have been joined by Debbie Apple and son Brayden, whose enthusiasm for growing healthy food and making lamb, beef, poultry, milk and grains available for local markets is changing our perception of the unsustainable, high energy system of food distribution presently in place throughout most of the industrial world.

Ron and Nicole Harness, Mauro Herrera and Jose Campusano are also key persons in the operation of Windy Acres Farm, from marketing, caring for livestock, planting, harvesting and everything in between.

   Alfred and Carney Farris
   September 5, 2009
   Soroti, Uganda

Our main breed of cattle is the British White. This breed of cattle is closer to wild cattle than any other breed. Although they have been thoroughly domesticated, they retain enough of their independent characteristics to help them survive and thrive with a minimum of human intervention. The breed's history can be traced back to herds of indigenous white cattle in England of the 1500s.

British White Cattle are ideal for Windy Acres Farm due to the fact that they can be easily brought to ideal butcher weight on grass alone. This breed has been noted throughout history for its lean meat and low fat content. We have seen a wonderful balance of a moderately low fat meat with just the right amount of marbling to ensure tenderness and the wonderful flavor you expect from gourmet beef.

In addition, the British White was once used as a dairy cow in England, and milk production compared well with other breeds. As a beef cow, the British White produces more than enough milk to bring calves to a good weight quickly. British White calves can be more than 500 pounds when weaned without grain. We are hoping to experiment more in the future with utilizing the British White in our milking program.

The breed of sheep chosen for meat is called Katahdins. Katahdin sheep are hair sheep and do not require shearing so don’t be alarmed if you see them looking like something the cat dragged in. Their “fleeces” are shed throughout the summer months and require no assistance from our friendly shearer. Our flocks are naturally raised on grass pastures and during the winter months we feed our farm-grown organic hay. We strive to breed easy lambing ewes with supreme mothering skills. Our parasite protocol is based on intensive rotational grazing and we carefully monitor our flocks for parasites.

Our pasture raised eggs are famous in several states. Many customers have told us that our eggs are best they have tasted, which is attested by the amount of reserved eggs we take to the farmer’s market. We feel that allowing hens to roam freely on certified organic pastures eating bugs galore supplemented with certified organic grains grown on the same farm creates an X-Factor that creates the best eggs with deep orange yolks and firm whites that cling to the yolk.

The breeds we have chosen this year are Rhode Island Red and Buff Orpington for their good egg laying record as well as their ability to provide large, brown eggs throughout the winter months.

Another facet of Windy Acres Farm is the production of wool. Our wool flock consists of Romney, Cotswold, Merino, Dorset, and Icelandic sheep. Our wool is for sale in the Windy Acres Farm Shop. You can purchase our wool as raw fleeces, roving or spun into yarn.

During the winter months we will hold knitting, crocheting, and spinning classes for beginner to advanced students.