Winter is upon us with all its cold and snow. Even in an unusually warm year like this one, our pastures are dormant, tucked under a blanket of snow; our cows, pigs, and chickens stay cozy warm in the barn. 

Late night barn checks are my favorite winter chore. The snow squeaks under foot and the bitter cold air takes my breath away as I walk through the night. On clear nights, the stars glitter in the sky and, if I’m lucky, I may catch a glimpse of a Snowy Owl or a Red Fox. Opening the door to the barn is like opening a portal to a secret world. The barn is quiet, save for the steady sounds of cows lazily chewing their cud. Piggie noses poke out of the deep hay and the chickens let out gravelly chirps from their perches. The pulse of life in a barn at night is an insistent reminder of our sacred responsibility to our animals and our land.  

As we cozy up next to the woodstove, we find ourselves reflecting on the year that was and dreaming of the year that is yet to come. We thumb through seed catalogues, consult our soil tests, review pasture plans, and measure our progress against our climate and sustainability goals. As farmers and land stewards, we are active participants in our ecosystem and our actions have a significant impact on the landscape. We work hard to build climate resilience and sustainable practices into our farm systems.  

When we purchased our neglected farmstead a decade ago, our priority was to bring our depleted soil back to health. Through thoughtful crop rotations and careful nutrient management, our soil now hums with subterranean life and supports lush pastures each summer. Focusing on soil health has been the key to becoming climate neutral. We sequester significant carbon stores in our soils and in the roots of the perennial crops that we grow. Our riparian buffers protect our streams while also providing diverse habitat for wildlife and sequestering even more carbon. These practices act to mitigate climate change while also helping our farm adapt to the impacts of climate change. Healthy soils are better able to handle both drought and extreme rainfall events, both of which happen with more frequency now than they did in decades past.  

As we have brought our soil back to life and continue to work towards our climate goals, we have experienced all sorts of interconnected benefits. Just last week, a gigantic flock of Snow Geese used our field as a stopover for the first time in memory. By viewing our farm as part of the rural ecosystem and using simple practices like managed grazing, perennial and cover cropping, and young forests, we have been able to become (a tiny) part of the solution to climate change.