Integrated Crop Livestock Systems Virtual Field Day
Animals contribute greatly to the diversity of a farm. They make and distribute manure, work the ground as they graze, and maintain the growth on the land. When managed well, animals enhance biodiversity and contribute to the development of healthy, living soil. In this virtual field day, we will take a virtual farm tour of Green Fire Farm and learn about how they integrate their animals into their vegetable production.
About Green Fire Farm
Located on 40 acres in the Cowichan Valley, Green Fire Farm grows a diverse mix of certified organic vegetables, fruits, and flowers, and raises livestock and grows hay on pasture rotations. They are a family-run farm, focused on sustaining their business while stewarding the soils, water, and biodiversity on the land, and on building their capacity to contribute in meaningful ways to our community. They are certified by their regional organic certifying body, the Islands Organic Producers Association.
The Vision of Green Fire Farm is to build:
a diverse farming system that produces vegetables, fruit, meat, and eggs, recycles nutrients on-farm, and reduces off-farm inputs;
a community of customers who know how their food is grown and raised;
a place where people come to learn about farming; and
a practice of working with our local ecosystems.
About DeLisa Lewis
DeLisa is the Lead Farmer at Green Fire Farm. A second, or skipped-generation farmer, DeLisa found her joy of farming helping out on her grandparents’ mixed farm in the Ozark foothills. She is a farming educator, researcher, and community volunteer. DeLisa helped create and was the lead instructor for the new farmer training program at the UBC Farm from 2011-2014; is an Assistant Professor and teaches three courses in Land and Food Systems at UBC each winter; mentors new farmers through Young Agrarians and other networks; and trains the Green Fire Farm field crew each year. She is engaged in research collaborations focused on soil health and nutrient management, sits on the accreditation board of the Certified Organic Association of BC, and is sought after as a speaker at farming conferences and events in the off-season. She was honoured in 2020 with the Brad Reid award for her leadership and service to the community of organic growers in British Columbia.
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