For years, the Tatum farm was cut for hay and used as pasture ground for cattle. After we closed on the property, multiple soil borings were gathered. The soil health was found to be less than favorable, so Jeff planted soybeans, as they create their own nitrogen. He plans to work to get the fertility back and eventually rotate soybeans, corn and wheat crops on the 50 tillable acres.
The remaining acreage will be pasture ground and cut for hay. The pasture ground will sustain a 20-30 cow herd. The farm has a mixture of Red and Black Angus cattle as well as some Charolais cross cattle. We have about 15-20 calves each year that either join the herd at Whippoorwill Farms or are moved to a feed-lot in Brownstown where Jeff raises fat cattle to sell at market.
Whippoorwill Hill plans to get a flock of Guineas in early spring 2017. The guineas will live in the old chicken coop (and outhouse) and provide a laundry list of benefits. They will help guard the farm, deter snakes and eat insects such as ticks all while providing adorable eggs for us to enjoy!
The farm has applied for the Monarch Butterfly Habitat Restoration Grant through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) (USDA, Monarch Butterflies ) and will hopefully incorporate a half acre of various milkweed species and other flowers in an open area at the farm to feed and provide environment for local pollinators. We
hope to choose a mixture of seeds that will not only provide seasonable nutrients to pollinators but also an array of color for our guests’ pictures!