Food and farming is such a fascinating field(no pun intended) because there is so much potential to create, to build, to support, and to work with the natural world for a thriving zone of abundance that can provide food, shelter, and so much more to humans and wildlife.

Eco-Librium Farm (ELF) is the culmination and just the beginning of my life’s work growing food and building sustainable ecosystems. I started gardening with my mother around the time I could walk and my started my first job for a homesteading family at 16 years old. In college I tried to study broadly and looked for something different, but was always drawn back to study agriculture and ecology.

I believe that what is truly good for humans is also what is good for the planet. From that comes a simple ideology. Healthy People, Healthy Places. Food should be good for you, taste great, and be good for the earth.

Eco-Librium is a small farm in Waynesboro VA nestled in the roots of the Appalachian mountains. I started ELF in 2022 after 13+ years of agricultural experience in 4 different states and 2 separate countries (USA and Ireland). I wanted the freedom to practice my vision for holistically sustainable agriculture that benefits all living things and honors our interconnectedness with the natural world.

The whole farm is a total of 3 acres including my home with just under ¼ acre of good soil for vegetable crops, ½ to ¾ of an acre for blueberries and raspberries, and 2+ acres of forested hillside. The land offers unique challenges and opportunities. The many different growing zones–shaded dry understory, shaded wet ravine, forest edge, flat rich soil, and open rocky hillside–means there is limited possibility for scaling one crop, but it provides the opportunity for a richly integrated farm ecosystem that utilizes each area to its full potential.

Eco-Librium is dedicated to No-Till farming. But a small compact utility tractor would help maintain the land and solve several key issues: 1) Clearing scrubby invasive plants for more fruit and herb plantings, 2) moving materials around the property, and 3) maintaining the driveway.

The beauty of a compact utility tractor is that once I have the tractor I can buy individual attachments over time. So while I can get a tractor and loader now to work on these specific issues, this purchase will continue to expand in usefulness over time and can grow with the business.

Invasive species remediation will take several years and a lot of hard work without chemical inputs. Having a tractor to help with initial removal of larger trunks and brush and periodic mowing will make this possible.

In the long term I will continue to acquire useful attachments like pallet forks to be able to receive bulk supplies and equipment, a rotary cutter to keep the brush down, and woodchipper/shredder to make my own mulch.

This tractor would support both economic success and environmental stewardship at Eco-Librium Farm. Your funds will go directly to tractor payments and necessary attachments. If Eco-Librium Farm aligns with your values I hope you will consider helping me build up my equipment!