Serving and Building Customers with Regenerative Practices

Farmer Jack Middleton has had many eye-opening moments during his time as Operations Manager for Fat Mountain Farms in Cerro Gordo. One of those moments came with Joel Salatin at Polyface Farm when he realized that there are many ways to run a profitable farm and not all of them involve large acreage and upfront investment. Jack has used those lessons to quickly expand Fat Mountain Farms to grow more animals and serve more customers.

Jack joined Soil Health Coalition members for our June Soil Health Hour and shared how Fat Mountain Farms is managed and has successfully grown since it was founded in 2021. The farm raises Katahdin hair sheep, Cornish Cross broilers, and Rhode Island Red and Red Sex Link egg-layers. All of the breeds were intentionally selected because they work well for the farm, such as the quick growth and hardiness of the Cornish Crosses.

Fat Mountain Farms has expanded its customer base which has allowed them to move from producing 75 meat birds during their first year to 2,000 birds in 2024. The chickens have the most immediate impact on plant growth and soil health, leaving behind lush green growth several weeks after they are moved to a new location. This has aided the farm in moving towards perennial pastures for grazing their sheep rather than relying on summer annuals that are planted each year. After four years of intentional animal impact, their Brix readings have increased by several percent, showing that there is a greater degree of dissolved sugars in their forages, which indicates higher quality.

Jack has realized that Fat Mountain Farms cannot continue their soil health improvements by adding more animals unless they have the customer base to support the farm. He has found the farmers markets and marketing channels that allow their farm to connect with their customers. Even though they sell the same products as other farms at the same markets, they have different customers. Customers connect with your farm’s story and your personality which leads them to buy from you and seek you out in the future.

Using the principles of regenerative agriculture and focusing on soil health has allowed Jack to find balance managing Fat Mountain Farms and to see opportunities for growth in the future. Fat Mountain Farms can be found on social media and at their website: www.fatmountainfarms.com.