One of the key measures of environmental health is biodiversity. As of June 2023, Ozark Akerz is home to over 600 species of plants, insects, reptiles, birds, fungi, mammals etc.
Our strategy for increasing biodiversity at Ozark Akerz has taken many forms. This includes but is not limited to:

• Selectively mowing pastures to preserve Milkweed stands for Monarch Butterflies
• Converting an old hay field to a Food & Medicine Forest
• Improving Soil microbiome biodiversity by planting cover crops and amending the soil with raw milk to add Lactobacillus
• Increasing Dung beetle population for healthy pastures and Pineywoods Cattle

In terms of labor, planting native perennial plants in the food and medicine forest has been the most intensive. We have planted 130+ trees, shrubs and other perennial plant, all of which require regular watering, weeding, and hand picking insects like Japanese Beetles every morning for 3-4 weeks during summer to ensure they have a fighting chance to grow. The increase in plant species has had a knock-on effect on the increase in insect, reptile and bird species.

In February we announced a giveaway of a copy of On The Farm, a book of photos of heritage breed farm animals by professional photographer Aliza Eliazarov. We challenged people to write our regenerative farming slogan Graze Against The Machine in creative ways. The winner would receive the book. which includes a photo of our Pineywoods Cattle cow, Peaches.

We received many entries, but one in particular caught the attention of our hearts. The entry was from a farmer in Limpopo Province, South Africa, Ashell Maenetja. Ashell combined photos of him doing what he loves most, cattle farming, with his daily reality spelling out Graze Against The Machine with pills.


"Used some of my medication mostly supplements, match sticks to create #GrazeAgainstTheMachine Ozark Akerz Regenerative Farm. Livestock #Cattle and medicine sums up my Life currently :-) :-)" Ashell wrote when he posted his entry.

Pineywoods Cattle have a bio-diverse diet, it is one of the reasons why we chose to raise them. Ozark Akerz is a mix of pastures and forests and the combination of grasses, trees, and shrubs is the perfect combination for them. In fact we stopped rotational grazing, allowing them to eat what they want, when they want (food and medicine), just like their ancestors did.

What do the Pineywoods Cattle herd eat at Ozark Akerz Regenerative Farm?  The answer is, all sorts, from Brambles to Walnut. We'll share what we've seen them eat, how they sometimes eat similar to Giraffes, and how our bull Rocky competes with farmer Sue to see who can pull the tastiest kudzu vine out of the trees for the cows. We'll also reveal how their appetite helps us meet some of our regenerative farming goals.