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Aspen ranch takes sustainability tips from famous farmer

Marci Krivonen

An Aspen-area farm is taking cues from the “mecca” of sustainable agriculture. Joel Salatin runs the Polyface Farm in Virginia. Many agricultural operations have duplicated his practices, including Aspen TREE at Cozy Point Ranch. Aspen Public Radio’s Marci Krivonen reports.

Aspen TREE runs a relatively small farm and ranch in a rural area. But, it doesn’t always sound rural.

"We’re right on the plane path, which is really exciting because anybody who flies into Aspen gets to experience this facility," says Eden Vardy, Executive Director of Aspen TREE. He says it’s at the “gateway to Aspen.” 

Credit Marci Krivonen
Aspen TREE Exec. Director Eden Vardy chose to study sustainable agriculture in school because he admired Joel Salatin.

Chickens, alpacas and goats roam the barns and fields here, that spread over two-thirds of an acre. Herbs, berries and lettuces grow in a public farm park, where anyone can take them home for dinner.

Vardy uses techniques from alternative farmer Joel Salatin.

"His approach to integrating agriculture with livestock, his use of moving systems and his integrated approach to agriculture in general, is what really what got me inspired in agriculture in the first place."

Salatin’s work can be seen inside the chicken coop, where a hen lays an egg every 36 hours.

Vardy: “You about to lay (an egg) buddy?”

Vardy reaches inside a nest and grabs a freshly laid egg.

Vardy: “So you can feel the warmth. That was the chicken we just heard that sound from.”

The chickens lay eggs at a quick rate because they’re happy. A movable greenhouse rolls up to and attaches to the chicken coop, providing heat the winter.

"...and also a winter range for the chickens, so the chickens can go in here and scratch the soil and have access to the earth even when everything else is frozen," says Vardy.

Credit Marci Krivonen
Plants in the "farm park" are free to the public to pick. The farm operates on City of Aspen Open Space land.

The chickens fertilize the soil in the greenhouse, so when it moves away from the coop in the summer, healthy crops grow. It’s a tactic taken from Joel Salatin.

"The principles that we’ve developed have been duplicated now throughout the world - high areas, low areas, wet areas, dry areas, communist areas, capitalist areas, socialist areas (laughs)."

That humor is a Salatin hallmark. The farmer and author is a sort of agriculture celebrity. His farm is featured in the New York Times bestseller Omnivore’s Dilemma and the documentary Food Inc.

He runs the farm on a set of principles.

"Our systems need to be integrated, not segregated, so we need to put plants and animals in proximity rather than separated, like the industry does. And, the plants run on carbon, they don’t run on manufactured chemicals or petroleum. They run on sunbeams turned to carbon."

In other words, no chemical fertilizers. And, the farm is self-sustaining, where animals work together to create rich soil for crops. He says it’s important local, sustainable agriculture catches on with consumers.

Credit Marci Krivonen
Aspen TREE has a large focus on education. Several kids camps teach kids about sustainable agriculture and the natural world.

"Your food choices today create the landscape your grandchildren will inherit, so if we really care about stewardship and the landscape our grandchildren will inherit,  we have to start thinking about our menu."

Back at the hen house, Eden Vardy of Aspen TREE collects another egg.

"Joel Salatin has a quote - 'Let a pig be a pig, let a chicken be a chicken.' By letting an animal express its innate qualities as an animal, we actually benefit more from the harvest of that animal and we’re doing our role as stewards and showing compassion toward that animal to express its function," says Vardy.

Salatin will speak at a free lecture Friday at Peapcke Auditorium in Aspen. The talk is being held by the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies and will air live at 7 pm on Aspen Public Radio.