About the Business
Chase and Alyssa pride themselves on having the most bio-diverse agriculture system in the state, while maintaining their roots in permaculture, organic practices and humane animal husbandry. During COVID-19, they switched their business model from being farmers market centric to almost entirely dependent on a 40 family CSA. Every week, they send out a fresh package to each member including a variety of products from their farm.
Reason for Fundraising
Headed into year five with strong sales, Alyssa and Chase see this as an opportunity for them to take the business model they've established and continue to scale it. In order to do so, they will need some fencing, caterpillar tunnels, and some other supplies. Additionally, they would use a portion of the funds to pay off some outstanding debt to free up their capital for improvements to the farm and the land.
Sustainable Agriculture Practices
Woodland Valley Farms focuses on a systems based approach to farming where they integrate animals, plants and fungi. They treat their animals with the highest humane standards possible and don't use any toxic chemicals on their vegetables or meats. While the farm is not certified organic, it surpasses the typical organic farms in their cultivation methods. Owner and farm manager Chase Renninger has a B.S. in Agroecology and is dedicated to his mission of farming and land restoration.
They currently raise 200 heritage hogs a year and rotate them intensively throughout the 80 acres of scrub forest and vegetation. They help disturb the soil and allow them to seed beneficial species of grasses that help improve grazing for their ruminants. They maintain their open-air barn by utilizing chickens, which help keep the barn “clean” and free of vermin, flies and other pests.
Steward Comments
Alyssa and Chase have a successful business with a diverse portfolio of sustainable foods. They adapted their business to the changes that COVID brought and they're going full steam ahead. This is exactly the type of farm Steward likes to advocate for and partner with and we're excited to have them on our platform.
