<![CDATA[Ozark Akerz Regenerative Farm - Blog]]>Fri, 01 May 2026 10:47:32 -0400Weebly<![CDATA[How A Collaboration Of Species and Cultures Regenerates This Farm]]>Thu, 22 Jan 2026 05:00:00 GMThttps://www.ozarkakerz.com/blog/how-a-collaboration-of-species-and-cultures-regenerates-this-farm

How A Collaboration Of Species and Cultures Regenerates This Farm

The road that runs past the farmhouse at sunset

I’m standing on the road that runs past the Ozark Akerz Regenerative Farm farmhouse.

This road has brought many visitors since our move here in 2014. Some are just passing through, some have stayed a night or two. Family, friends and what used to be strangers. Many have brought their appetites and their curiosity about what we are “regenerating”. Some have left knowledge and imparted ancient wisdom of their culture. That wisdom has made this farm more resilient, purposeful and helped reveal discoveries of the sacred.

What greets all visitors is a large, old pine tree by the road. A place of shady refuge for the few that walk this road in the height of summer. Its lower limbs are visible to the left of this picture.

What awaits visitors is an ecosystem of 775+ species of plants and animals. The endangered Pineywoods Cattle graze in forests they share with Bobcats, White-tailed deer, Beavers, Coyotes, Painted Turtles, Otters, Northern Cricket Frogs, Grey Foxes, Eastern Red Bats, Luna Moths, Monarch Butterflies, Lion’s Mane Mushrooms and Barred Owls to name a few.

Some visitors leave much more here than they take with them. They do their own work of regeneration, bringing back reverence to these quiet places.

The ecosystem is in constant change. An old hay field is now regenerating native species of trees and shrubs that hold food and medicine that was once frequented in this landscape. The 2.5 acre hay field held a dozen species of plants, now that same area holds 140 species.

A black and white image of a hickory treee growing out of boulders with the low winter sun in the bckground

A Place Of Good Energy And The Sacred

There is good energy here. A ley line runs from the western to the eastern boundaries of the farm drawing energy to ancient sacred sites and grandmother trees as old as 320 years. These sacred sites healed, brought ceremony and gathered community for many centuries. Then the reverence for them vanished, the people holding them dear forced off this land.

Some visitors leave much more here than they take with them. They do their own work of regeneration, bringing back reverence to these quiet places.

A friend of ours brought his youngest daughter for a visit over the summer. Her bond with and reverence for nature was immediately evident. Her words evoked respect and kinship with the plants, animals, rocks, even unseen soil microbes. As we walked, she wove these individuals together with stories that created connections between them all.

Trends come and go, but the principles of regenerative farming are rooted in indigenous wisdom. They will not fade. They are carried deep into our soil, carried high by the trees and will be carried far into the future by the stones.

We stopped at one of the three the sacred sites our friend Chris, who is a member of Creek Nation, has discovered on the farm. This place, Chris says, was once one of ceremonial community. Out of the center of the boulders grows a large Hickory Tree.

A man standing ontop of a very large boulder surrounded by trees

Chris standing on top of another sacred place on the farm, one of healing

As we walked around the boulders our friends daughter told stories of what she saw including signs of the animals that lived there. She placed her hands on the boulders and felt the moss and lichen. When I asked her what name she would give this place she paused and said she’d name it Bridge, because it was a bridge where the trees and rocks speak to each other.

Out of respect for my friend and his daughter and their Native American culture, I cannot share all the ceremony and reverence that occurred around Bridge. Chris has always said that for this place to be revived, it must be a place of community again. He said there is someone nearby that will help that happen. The regeneration has begun.

The regeneration of this sacred site is a collaboration that bridges species and cultures, Pineywoods Cattle, and Human Native American and Immigrant cultures.

I wrote this poem following our friend and his daughters visit:

“Their centuries long slumber creaked as an ancient familiarity pulsed around them.

Their eyes, crusted with lichen and moss opened slowly to greet who stood before them.

They smiled at their kin, honored by her reverence.

They felt her wisdom and her gem-like energy, sparkling, dancing, even in the fading light.

They breathed deeply into their new awakening, feeling their ancient lives renewed.”

When I shared the visit with Chris he said, “The stones are our grandmothers and grandfathers. They were here before us all and sacrificed everything to allow us to be here today. Mother earth honors them by surrounding them with all her beauty. For years she kept them hidden but with the arrival of both of your amazing energies, she has revealed them.”

A herd of Pineywoods Cattle grazing in a lush, green forest under a blue sky

The Pineywoods grazing in the forest

The Bridge To Discovery Began With Pineywoods Cattle

Our Pineywoods Cattle herd made these visits possible, they were the first step toward reviving community, or as Chris reminded me, Sue and I were the first step because we chose to bring the Pineywoods here in 2015. Before they were allowed to graze on greenbrier, brambles, privet, kudzu and other invasive plants, this forest was choked, impenetrable by sunlight. Pineywoods instinct to eat a wide what nature provides was an vital step in regenerating the site. Bridge was not visible let alone accessible before Pineywoods.

Some will soon forget their visit. Most will hear definitions of regenerative farming that are meant to obscure and rebrand the true principles of regenerative farming.

On reflection, the name Bridge is such a profound name for a place of community. It brings together Mother Earth, Pineywoods Cattle, It represents a bridge between nature, between cultures, between species, between history and between spirits. The regeneration of this sacred site is a collaboration that bridges species and cultures, Pineywoods Cattle, and Human Native American and Immigrant cultures.

I took this photo of Bridge around sunset a last fall. When we closed on the sale of the farm on November 25, 2013 this scene was not possible, sunlight could not reach the forest floor. The light reaching Bridge twelve years later is magic.

A large hickory tree growing out of a cluster of large boulders in a forest in autumn

Bridge looking magical at sunset

There will be many more visitors to Ozark Akerz Regenerative Farm. The connections they feel with the land, plants and animals will vary dramatically. Some will soon forget their visit. Most will hear definitions of regenerative farming that are meant to obscure and rebrand the true principles of regenerative farming.

Trends come and go, but the principles of regenerative farming are rooted in indigenous wisdom. They will not fade. They are carried deep into our soil, carried high by the trees and will be carried far into the future by the stones.

AI was not used for these reflections which were cultivated in the soil of reality.

A large hickory tree drowing from boulders in a winter landscape of a forest

Bridge in winter

]]><![CDATA[Seed Stories - Grandmother Pecan]]>Wed, 03 Dec 2025 05:00:00 GMThttps://www.ozarkakerz.com/blog/seed-stories-grandmother-pecan

Seed Stories - Grandmother Pecan Tree Planted in the Mid 1800's in North Carolina

This Grandmother Pecan Tree was planted in the mid 1800's

I suggested to our small rural library that we begin a Seed Story Library. A wee bit different from a seed bank of local seeds, it includes the story of the seeds. I shared with them the story of old grandmother pecan trees that grow near the century old farmhouse.

To help the library share the Seed Story concept with other library locations in the county and gauge support from residents, I collected pecans and filled a couple jars of seeds to bring them along with a printed copy of the Pecan Seed Story .

Space is at a premium at small rural libraries and i distributing them to the community out of planting season could lead to the seeds ending up in a drawer somewhere and be forgotten when planting season rolls around. I suggested that it may work better if the seeds are only available during the best time to plant them. For pecans that time is fall, when the squirrels are planting them. This will limit the amount of space the library needs for to display the seeds if they're only sharing a few seed stories at one time. the stories are also more likely to be read. These are Seed Stories after all, not a seed saving program.

Once the seeds have all been taken into the community the story remains. I gave the library an old binder to store old seed stories. Perhaps one day it will be a collection of Randolph County Seed Stories if they decide to do this in the long term.

You'll find the story, planting instructions and a recipe for Pecan Pesto below. Whether you have the Grandmother Seeds to plant or not, please carry this story with you to keep the Grandmother trees alive.

GRANDMOTHER PECANS

Trees Planted in the Mid 1800's Hold Secrets and Provide an Anchor

Two grandmother pecan trees at Ozark Akerz appear to be at least 150 years old. At one point the small farm anchored the trees, now the trees anchor the farm. - Linwood Watson MD | Haliwa-Saponi

I got distracted by the light while doing evening chores a few days ago. The sunset was crimson across the billowing clouds to the west. As it faded, it cast a soft light over the farmhouse that has stood here since 1920. The changing color of the maple leaves with the towering green of the pecans trees behind it added to the gentle mood.

The long-standing grandmother trees around the old farmhouse hold many secrets, Elm, Maple, Eastern Red Cedar, Black Walnut, Hackberry and Pecan trees.

The grandmother Pecans were planted about 175 years ago. That’s how we determined the approximate age of the log cabin the farmhouse was built around. There was a tradition in the mid 1800’s for newlyweds to plant Pecan trees around the home they built. The logs of the old cabin are clearly visible in the crawlspace. Only one of the cabin walls was used to construct part of the farmhouse. Now clad with drywall, the wall leading into the ‘cabin room’ is considerably thicker than the rest of the house.

My friend Linwood Watson once wrote “Two grandmother pecan trees at Ozark Akerz appear to be at least 150 years old. At one point the small farm anchored the trees, now the trees anchor the farm."

Linwood is a member of the Haliwa-Saponi tribe of Eastern North Carolina. His comment reflects his Native American perspective and is one of the most insightful I’ve heard about the importance of trees and forests on our farm. They provide food, medicine, habitat, shade and a place of solitude and reverence. 78% of the farm is forest. Our Pineywoods Cattle share the forest with Bobcats, White-tailed deer, Beavers, Coyotes, Painted Turtles, Otters, Northern Cricket Frogs, Grey Foxes, Eastern Red Bats, Luna Moths, Monarch Butterflies, Lion’s Mane Mushrooms, Barred Owls and 764 other species of animals and plants. One early morning before sunrise in November I went out to find a fox and a possum side-by-side cracking and eating pecans with their jaws. We use the iNaturalist App to identify the biodiversity on the farm, each year we discover new species.

The seeds from the grandmother Pecan Trees at Ozark Akerz Regenerative Farm in Randolph County have been distributed across North Carolina and into Virginia. Many have sprouted seedlings that are being anchored with care across our state.

Take one Grandmother Ella* seed and one Grandmother Fannie* seed with you, you’ll need to plant both to get pecan nuts in the future. Carry this story with you and share it with others. When you plant the seeds read this story to them, it will help them anchor in their new home.

The story is inseparable from the seeds. It carries a long history of Randolph County and a reverence for the forests we are lucky to have. By sharing this and other Seed Stories, you are keeping the seeds alive.

*Ella is Mike's paternal Grandmother, Fannie is Sue's paternal Grandmother

Planting Instructions From Nick Wrenn

For planting instructions we went to good friend Nick Wrenn at Living Soil Tree Farm. Nick shares our passion for never using synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides. When growing trees, Nicks main inputs are leaf compost, woodchips, leaves, and worm compost.

I met Nick at the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association conference in 2023, I brought him some of the grandmother Pecan seeds. Not long after the conference, Nick paid us a visit. This is what he wrote about his visit. "Shortly after the conference I went out to visit the farm for the first time. This tree absolutely blew me away. I have never seen such a large pecan tree. It sits in the yard behind the farm house and must have witnessed many generations of humans come and go through that house. Its difficult to estimate age but I can not wrap my arms around this tree. Loose guess I think this tree has to be over 200 years old at the minimum. Although the nuts on this tree are not especially large we feel that its genetics are important based solely on the fact that this tree has stood the test of time. Old trees like this often take on a personal meaning for me that goes beyond physical traits. There are so few old trees left."

Nick sowed the pecan seeds we gave him in 2024. He told us that pecans and acorns share the same planting instructions

"Pecan seed should not be allowed to completely dry out. In zone 7 and warmer pecans can be planted outdoors in fall. Fall planting may work in colder zones although we haven’t tried this ourselves." says Nick. North Carolina is zone 8 and we generally plant our pecan seeds in pots in the fall and cover with some hardware cloth to keep the squirrels and other critters from eating them. After it sprouts in the spring we transfer it to the ground. Plant the seedlings at least 60 feet apart.

Nick adds, "As an alternative to fall planting pecans can be stored in the fridge and planted out in spring. We like to use Ziplock bags. If you see large drops of water in the bag conditions are way too wet. A little visible condensation is okay. Acorns can be stored in other containers in the fridge such as jars. If you want you can pack your acorns with a medium such as sand or coco coir in the bag."

If you have a large amount of pecan seeds Nick continues "If fall planting in not an option for any reason acorns can be stored over winter in buckets with drainage holes packed with the medium of your choice (wood chips, sawdust, compost, sand etc.). These buckets should be insulated from freezing by piling mulch around the outside of the bucket. Be sure to protect the buckets from rodents if you go this route. They can smell acorns from a mile away!"

Pecan Pesto - A Locally Adapted Recipe

Adapting recipes to use locally available ingredients is one of the ways we Graze Against The Machine. We've adapted our pesto recipe to use ingredients that grow at Ozark Akerz Regenerative Farm, we don't grow pine nuts so we use pecans instead and man if it isn't tasty! You can adapt this recipe to use what grows in your area, walnuts, almonds, brasil nuts, etc The hardneck Music garlic we use in this recipe is a variety that grows well in North Carolina and a staple in our garden each season. The basil is fresh from our friends Mary Beth and Brandon's garden, just down the road.

Leave us a comment and let us know if you you have any locally adapted recipes.

AI was not used for these reflections which were cultivated in the soil of reality.

]]><![CDATA[How Do We Preserve Pineywoods Cattle 500 Year-Old Instincts?]]>Wed, 25 Jun 2025 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.ozarkakerz.com/blog/how-do-we-preserve-pineywoods-cattle-500-year-old-instincts

How Do We Preserve Pineywoods Cattle 500 Year-Old Instincts?

A friend of mine asked me on Saturday: “Have you ever noticed the pineywoods grazing on acorns ? Some folks I was talking to today at the market said acorns will mess up the cows gut. I was surprised to hear that !”

My friend Chris Dorsey at Red Wolf Farms has seen his Pineywoods herd eat acorns. They don’t eat many. A few years ago there was a flurry of panic from farmers saying some of their Angus had died from eating acorns. I’ve heard the same about Angus dying from eating wild cherry. Our Pineywoods only eat the green leaves of wild cherry, the cyanide is much higher in the wilted leaves.

If your cattle can’t survive in nature maybe you should be asking yourselves if you’re doing something wrong - Chris Dorsey | Creek Nation

Pineywoods ran wild for hundreds of years and subsequently had minimal influence from human selection, although that has begun to change with some breeders. The same wild instinct has been bred out of commercial breeds in favor of faster growth and bigger animals. As a result these breeds eat too much or they eat out of season. Just like overdosing on pharmaceutical drugs, if cattle consume too much of a certain plant it can make them sick or even kill them. The difference is plants don't come with a label. The label comes in form of reliance that is held in the animals instinct, an instinct built up through hundreds of years of foraging. But this label becomes washed out when humans begin to interfere with that instinct by selective breeding or actions based on well-meaning intentions.

Chris said to the farmers warning of their Angus dying/getting sick from acorn consumption (they also encouraged others to cut down oaks or fence their cattle out of forest) something to the effect of “When animals that belong in nature can no longer survive without the help of humans, maybe we should be asking ourselves if we’re doing something wrong.” Chris boiled it down. His Native American heritage provides imagination to the past. Chris’ wisdom on this subject is just one example of how indigenous principles are the foundation of regenerative farming.

Last month we let our Pineywoods herd into 65 acres of newly fenced forest. 60% of the trees are red oak.

Three Pineywoods Cattle yearlings explore the forest

Three Pineywoods yearlings exploring the new forest

We have to take our cues from the self-reliance of the Pineywoods breed. We have to show the same reliance in ourselves when we make choices for the herd instead of relying on advice that is is rooted in commercial breeds

The video at the top of this post is of one of our Pineywoods Cattle, Blackberry, eating leaves from Black Walnut. The tree contains a natural anti-parasitic called juglone. Our herd takes a few mouthfuls, but they don’t eat it constantly. Just enough to keep any intestinal worms in check. A few weeks later we watched Blackberry pass up another bite while other members of the herd took a nibble. I suspect there is medicine in green Wild Cherry leaves when eaten in the right amounts too.

Pineywoods breeders are always enthusiastic about sharing the 500 year history of Pineywoods, But it’s our responsibility to consider, and discuss, how our actions may affect the Pineywoods population 500 years from now. Some of these considerations have to be driven by the fact that these are not commercial breeds. Much if not all of of the knowledge around cattle is based on commercial breeds, not on Heritage Breeds such as Pineywoods. There is a reason for that, Heritage Breeds are endangered with extinction. There are not many left.

We have to take our cues from the self-reliance of the Pineywoods breed. We have to show the same reliance in ourselves when we make choices for the herd instead of relying on advice that is is rooted in commercial breeds. We have to question if vaccination regimes meant for cattle with lower disease and parasite resistance than Pineywoods is right for the breed. We have to question the advice provided for cattle that have lower heat tolerance than Pineywoods. We have to question the foraging advice that is meant for cattle that can't thrive on bio-diverse forages like Pineywoods.

Haliwa-Saponi Provides 7th Generation Guidance

To channel Native American thinking, many tribal people would counter that instead of trying to predict the future, ask what is worth carrying and honoring from the past that you would want the 7 generation to have? -Linwood Watson M.D. | Haliwa-Saponi

It can feel like a bit of a minefield. When it comes right down to it the welfare of our herd is more important than anything. Balancing that immediate need with what the breed needs to survive for another 500 years with their strong traits intact is not easy. But if we begin to wrap our decision making in the indigenous 7th Generation Principle, we have a chance. My good friend Linwood is a member of the Haliwa-Saponi Tribe of North Carolina. Linwood lives with his wife and two daughters at AspenSkye Orchard in Fuquay-Varina, NC. I asked Linwood to put the 7th Generation principle into perspective for what we are trying to do as cattle farmers.

"To channel Native American thinking, many tribal people would counter that instead of trying to predict the future, ask what is worth carrying and honoring from the past that you would want the 7 generation to have/possess/use? Honor is universal currency among traditional Native peoples. Instead of predicting what the 7th generation will be like, emphasize what you would not want the 7th generation to lose.

Chris' comment about still maintaining livestock connected to Nature reflects things he does not want his 7 generation of cattle to lose. Mike and Sue’s focus on Pineywoods self- reliance conveys traits they want to last 7 generations.

Let me end with an illustration applied to Mike and Sue. Perhaps ensuring the 7 generation of self-reliant, “rough and tumble”, kudzu and cyanide (in small quantities) devouring, rambunctious Pineywoods versatility is for their farm to plant a bridge to future generations: A forest of 1-10 acres, off limits from today’s herd, and allowed to grow ungrazed for 25 years. Curate its diversity, but keep it off limits, until it is needed 25-30 years from now.*"

Growing Linwoods Bridge To The Future

Linwood's comment about establishing a forest off limits to the Pineywoods made me think of the Food & Medicine Forest that we are establishing. As I write this, the Food & Medicine Forest is in full summer bloom and the native Pawpaws, Wild Plums, Mulberries, Hazelnuts, Sumac, Muscadine Grapes, Persimmons and Aronia are flush with fruit in various stages of ripening.

It’s hard to believe this was a hay field when we moved here in 2014. The hay that grew on this land was cut and hauled away to feed our neighbors goats, llamas and camels. Now that same land feeds many more species of insects, birds, mammals etc. We’ve planted almost 200, mainly native, trees and shrubs, most of them since 2020.

Tomatoes, Jerusalem Artichokes Cucumbers, Cayenne and Jalapeño Peppers, Horseradish, Sweet Potatoes and many varieties of herbs and flowers grow beneath the still establishing canopy. Fig, Pear, Cherry and Apple trees are dotted amongst native trees and chickens, guineas and geese graze around the blueberries, wild plums and blackberries looking for a tasty treat. They are all watched over by the grandmother Pecan, Black Walnut, Eastern Red Cedar, Elm and Hackberry trees that have been growing here for a century and more.

Our spirit of care will linger on this land, as will Linwoods. Through his gentle advice, some of the native plants that have fed and medicated his Haliwa-Saponi tribe for generations now grow in the Food & Medicine Forest

Yellow wild-flowers grow under trees in the food and medicine forest

The Food & Medicine Forest in full summer bloom

To provide long term resilience to the food & medicine forest, we chose to grow mainly wild sourced native saplings. The genetic diversity of nursery bought stock is limited. Wild plants flower at different times, have varying disease resistance and drought tolerances. There is strength in diversity.

We have begun to get a lot of help from nature on the farm. The care we gave the saplings in the early years, weeding, watering etc is being reciprocated. The biodiversity of plants attracts many species like predatory wasps that feed on tobacco horn worms that plagued our tomatoes in the early years.

With the addition of a small pond a few years ago, evenings are transformed with chorus of new species of frogs joining with the tree frogs as fire flies sparkle the closing day. Dragonflies flitter about and Barn Swallows skim the surface for a drink. A turtle now calls the pond home, surfacing carefully at a distance when the geese are taking a swim.

The transformation will evolve with time. Birds will bring new species of plants, and once established, our Pineywoods Cattle will graze beneath the canopy to help keep the Poison Ivy and Johnson Grass in check and the new variety of native plants will increase the biodiversity of native plants that the Pineywoods can graze on.

What Do We Not Want To Lose On Our Farm For The Next 7 Generations?

The Pineywoods Cattle at Ozark Akerz Graze amongst Milkweed plants during sunset

Linwood posing the question about what we "DO NOT" want to lose for the next seven generations has helped us spell out some of the things we have done for years and begun to take for granted, like not spraying any pesticides, herbicides or insecticides since we moved here in 2014

I cannot answer Linwood's question fully at this time. I need to let the question rest in my heart for clear answers to arise. Like all things in nature, answers take time to grow.

Having said that, Sue and I are not unused to thinking this way. We talk about what we want to preserve often. Linwood repositioning the question to be about what we "DO NOT" want to lose for the next seven generations has helped us spell out some of the things we have done for years. Things that we just do and have begun to take for granted, like NOT spraying any pesticides, herbicides or insecticides since we moved here in 2014. We've begun to take for granted that people know regenerative farms don't use chemicals. That's a dangerous assumption.

We do not want to lose:

Pineywoods instincts
Increasing biodiversity
Reverence for the sacred indigenous sites
Forests
Connections to community
Farmland to developers - unpopulated; limited human dwellings; leave limited footprints take only memories; mostly us disturbed by humans
The resilience of plants and animals
Food & medicine that heals
The regenerative principles we farm by
All the land uncontaminated by chemicals

It is our hope that this land will continue to be home to Pineywoods, chickens, geese, guneas and wildlife long after we’re gone. Our spirit of care will linger here, as will Linwoods. Through his gentle advice, some of the native plants that have fed and medicated his Haliwa-Saponi tribe for generations now grow in the Food & Medicine Forest.

The instinct of how to survive in nature has not been bred out of Pineywoods…yet. It is the responsibility of farmers to care for their Pinewoods herds without interfering too much. They are an independent breed and can only remain so with the help of farmers that are willing to learn from Pineywoods how best to care for them, not following conventional (and commercial) wisdom.

To save Pineywoods from extinction we must save the traits that make them compatible with nature.

*A Note from Linwood: The above observations are mine solely. Successes are my tribe’s, failures are mine. AI was not used for these reflections which were cultivated in the soil of reality.

I asked Linwood's permission to use his quote regarding not using AI, I like it: AI was not used for these reflections which were cultivated in the soil of reality.

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