What is a Grazier?

Historically, graziers are farmers who raise cattle and/or sheep on rural land, grazing them to fatten them for market. We consider ourselves to be the new generation of local, small-scale graziers, moving our herd and flock to different parcels of land on Lopez Island, to regenerate the old hay fields and build soil on depleted pastures.

By using modern mobile electric fencing, smaller parcels of land can be intensively grazed to mimic the impact of large herds of ruminants, thereby building soil, increasing water retention on the land, increasing forage species biodiversity, and creating healthy wildlife habitat. We farm with nature, and the by-product of our methods is deeply nutritious and delicious meat from robust, happy animals.

Who are we and why do we farm?

We are Mike and Meike who, along with our three children, moved from the high country of Colorado to Lopez Island in 2018. The change in climate, latitude, and (especially) altitude, was a big one for people used to living under winter conditions for eight months of the year at 9,000 feet above sea level. (To say we are thrilled about not having to shovel and plow snow is an understatement!).

Our story is not unique; we started farming more than fifteen years ago when our children were young and when we realized that high quality, locally raised meat was not accessible to us. We started raising our own pigs, sheep, cows, and chickens to feed our family and friends, becoming active advocates for a local food system along the way.

Since that time we have been busily growing our flock and herd and learning all about this new place we call home. We consider ourselves to be Earth-keepers, stewards of this incredible Creation, whose kinship with the soil, the trees, the grasses, the animals, and each other, is a cornerstone of our every day lives. We feel incredibly fortunate to be in a county that cherishes local food production, and we are incredibly blessed to be able to raise our children in a community that counts farmers and food producers as neighbors and friends.