The Proof is in the Pasture
The healthier way to raise happy sheep on your homestead
Tess Hahn is "Yi Sheng" a nurturer of life.
What is important to me?
Preserve natural beauty, keep the land clean of pesticides & herbicides, maintain wildlife habitat and corridors, have a healthy forest and clean water, keep pastoral views, preserve special places (big trees, moose pond), have a farm that is resilient during troubled times such as drought.
It is very important to improve soil fertility and water holding capacity of the farm, enjoy vistas, be a good neighbor in my local community, maintain the old style of the farm’s buildings and minimize modern appearing features. Maintain trails for hiking and horseback riding and paths for horse and buggy travel on the farm.
In is important to me that we grow our own food, in particular to grow quality food animals as humanely as possible. That the animals who feed us be cared for well, enjoy good lives and be harvested without fear or pain. To grow them sustainably using the proven methods of natural farming which also benefits the land.
What part of farming do I enjoy most deeply?
I most appreciate using natural processes to reach my goals, to set up myself and arrange the physical variables so that my goal happens naturally, created by the workings of the Earth. Whether it is growing grass, moving a flock of sheep, increasing my lambing ratio, aligning with the natural flow allows one to accomplish tasks. In martial arts we help gravity pull an opponent down, in archery we set up our stance and let the arrow do its flight, in horsemanship we set up situations so the horse will choose to respond with the maneuver we desire.
My farming is an extension of my practice of Oriental Medicine.
Once a “Yi Sheng”, always a “Yi Sheng”.
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