BRUSH VALLEY, PA – The term “regenerative farming” has attracted a lot of attention lately. Consumers appreciate the idea of producers utilizing a holistic approach to stewarding their land.
Farmers have long known that the practice of restoring agricultural land to a more productive state is not just a best practice but also economically rewarding in the long-term.
The need for farmers to regenerate land comes when previous landowners have sacrificed long-term soil and farm health for immediate economic concerns.
Eli Mack is a regenerative farmer in both senses of the word: not only is he committed to managing his land on the western slope of the Alleghanies according to the principles of the regenerative farming movement – understanding the complex interconnectedness of all parts of nature – but he is also regenerating parts of his farm to bring it into a more optimal state of agricultural productivity.
For example, on one section of the farm – a steep hillside (not uncommon in Indiana County) which had previously been a marginal row crop field – he is planting windbreaks on the contour, grazing sheep and developing a silvopasture system.
“I’m giving it the attention it needs to become fertile,” he said, “getting some vegetation established.”
Mack raises Highland and Dexter cattle and Katahdin sheep. He sells animals in wholes, halves and quarters – some to the portion of the population which has lately become aware of the importance of knowing where food comes from and some to good old country folks who never forgot that to begin with.
Growing up with his sisters, Mack practiced backyard hobby farming (with sheep, chickens and rabbits) on the home farm which today is the core of his operation.
“Pretty early on I realized I want to do it more intentionally. I asked my parents if I could try some stuff, and they let me,” he said. He was 12 when he bought his first cow, a Hereford-Limousin cross, with savings from a summer job.
Today, in addition to raising his livestock, Mack also works as a product manager at Kencove Farm Fence Supplies. “I have definitely learned and grown a lot since being around the folks at Kencove,” he said. He also provides consulting services to other landowners on fencing and silvopasture design and installation.
Mack began practicing silvopasture because, he said, “I only have so much pasture floor – I was maxing out my horizontal space.”
Eli Mack raises Highland and Dexter cattle in central Pennsylvania. Photo courtesy of Mack Farms
By practicing silvopasture, Mack has been able to provide shade and shelter for his animals as well as enhance the ecosystem. He uses deciduous trees, typically starting with black locust due to its hardy pioneer qualities, then adds oak, birch and willow. There is a wet spot by a creek on the home farm – too wet for pasture – which Mack uses as a nursery for willows. He is considering adding evergreens, particularly in areas which are windy.
Mack also uses the trees as fodder. During the peak foliage of summer, he’ll use a lopper and cut small limbs with leaves. He’ll bundle those branches with old baler twine and store them in the barn.
“Trees have deeper roots than forbs or grasses,” he said, “so they access different minerals.” He will feed the tree hay in winter, when the leaves are no longer available in the landscape. He noted that trees with higher tannins (like black locust and willow) are able to provide some parasite control. He’s also observed that his sheep like tree hay as a transition from stockpiled to stored forage.
The trees Mack plants in his pastures provide shade for his Highland cattle, which with their double coat of hair need it during summer heat. They are also there for his cattle to rub on. “When I see people installing brush rollers,” Mack said, “I think ‘That’s what trees are for.’”
Other farmers engage Mack as a silvopasture consultant to develop a more robust farm ecosystem as well as to develop a secondary revenue stream from timber.
Mack bought his first Highlands in 2018. The Dexter cattle, which he has just introduced to the farm, are for meat.
“The thought is with their smaller frame and lighter hoof print the Dexters can perform on the lower-lying wet soils of the home farm,” Mack explained. Some day he would like a pair of oxen to use around the farm as well.
Mack has mixed in Katahdin to graze with the cattle, and has observed an apparent lower parasite problem when they are mixed in. But the sheep and cattle do graze separately as well, depending on the farm’s management needs.
The animals are fed just with what is grown on the farm – forage, hay and the small bit of tree hay. In winter he practices bale grazing. Without added grain inputs, the time from calving to slaughter is about three years, but the Highland breed is a slower growing breed to begin with.
All of the breeding is natural service, and Mack has stopped castrating his bull calves. Because Highlands are a slower-maturing species, by the time a bull calf is ready to breed, it’s also ready to be harvested. At that time, Mack will decide which males he’ll keep as bulls and which he will send to harvest.
As for his fencing consultancy, Mack provides three levels of service: advise, design and installation. Typically he is called on to provide one of the first two services, but sometimes the job includes installation as well. Mack also tans cowhides and finishes cow skulls as decorative pieces.
This autumn he and his wife Sabrina (who last June had twins, Beau and Lilah) are looking to add a heritage breed of poultry to their operation, for meat and eggs.
“I want to be diversified enough to do this full-time in 10 years,” Mack said. “I’ve put a lot of investment physically, financially and mentally, trying to build a diversified, resilient landscape.
“I want my kids to have the same experience I had growing up, just on a different level.”
by Karl H. Kazaks
Leave A Comment