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.

Our Pineywoods Cattle have transformed impenetrable thorny land into a flourishing forest. Allowing our cattle to manage our forest has resulted in a drop in farm expenses. Through there appetite for invasive plant species we have seen an increase in biodiversity of plants and animals, discovered sacred indigenous sites and seen a significant benefit to the cattle's welfare. The forest clearings created by the Pineywoods have given us access to do our own foraging, for example of Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor) mushrooms that have been scientifically shown to have anti-cancer properties. These dramatic and positive impacts been a blue print for some the regenerative practices we follow and hope to expand upon in 2025.

The Pineywoods Cattle surprising preference for walnut trees over lush grass prompted a shift from rotational grazing to pasture and forest grazing. The cows now graze on a diverse variety of forages, which has led to a healthier ecosystem This symbiotic relationship supports the well-being of the animals—and humans—who depend on them.

A Food & Medicine Forest attempts to mimic nature. It provides bio-diverse, perennially growing food and medicine and tools. The benefits of growing a Food & Medicine Forest range from carbon capture to self-reliance to increasing biodiversity. We have started started converting an old hay field intoto a Food & Medicine Forest. This area of the farm contributes heavily to our health and is one of the reasons Sue, who is a cancer survivor, has not taken any prescription or over-the-counter drugs in 8 years.

We’ve allowed wildflowers and ‘weeds’ to grow and added native species of shrubs, trees and flowers, and perennial food plants. Our goals have been multi-fold. In no specific order, these include: