Heaven’s Hollow Farm: a Soil for Water Case Study

Project Type: Research and Education
Funds awarded in 2021: $1,000,000.00
Projected End Date: 09/30/2024
Grant Recipients: National Center for Appropriate Technology; Understanding Ag, LLC; Holistic Management International; JG Research and Evaluation; Mississippi State University; University of Arkansas; Virginia Association for Biological Farming; Virginia Tech University
Region: Southern
State: Texas
Principal Investigator:
Mike Morris
National Center for Appropriate Technology
Co-Investigators:
Dr. Eric S. Bendfeldt
Virginia Cooperative Extension
Dr. Dirk Philipp
University of Arkansas
Dr. Rocky Lemus
Mississippi State University, Department of Plant and Soil Sciences
Description:
Heaven’s Hollow Farm is a fourth-generation family farm in Orange, Virginia operated by Jacob Gilley, his wife Jennifer, and their children. It is a Black Angus cow-calf operation that also includes pastured poultry and pork, mostly marketed directly to consumers and local restaurants. Jacob and Jennifer take a holistic approach to managing their farm and seek to improve soil health, water quality, bird and wildlife habitat, and pollinator diversity as much as possible. In this video, Jacob describes their thinking about these processes. Soil health, profitability, and quality of life must be balanced and should not be too complex.
Type:
Video
Transcript Embedded:
Yes
Authors:
Eric Bendfeldt, Virginia Tech; Kim Niewolny, Virginia Tech; Katie Trozzo, Virginia Tech
Target audiences:
Farmers/Ranchers; Educators; Researchers; Consumers
This product is associated with the project "Soil for Water"
Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or SARE.