AN EXPANSIVE GATED COW PADDOCK FEATURES A FOLD OF 30+ SCOTTISH HIGHLAND CATTLE – THE OLDEST REGISTERED BREED IN THE WORLD – KNOWN FOR ITS DOCILE AND FRIENDLY TEMPERAMENT AND USED IN THE BIODYNAMIC FARMING PROCESS EMPLOYED BY THE RANCH, CREATING A CLOSED, REGENERATIVE PRACTICE MADE FAMOUS BY RUDOLPH STEINER.
SEVERAL SOURCES OF DEVELOPED WATER RUN THROUGH THE RANCH, INCLUDING SPRINGS, WELLS, AND WATER TANKS WITH GRAVITY FLOW WATER WHERE NO ELECTRICITY IS NEEDED. IN ADDITION, THERE ARE SEVERAL UNTAPPED ARTISANAL SPRINGS THAT PROVIDE POTENTIAL FOR ADDITIONAL WELLS AND FRESH WATER. NEAR THE OUTPOST BUILDINGS YOU CAN FIND AN INGROUND SWIMMING POOL AND POTENTIAL LOCATIONS FOR THE ADDITION OF A HELICOPTER LANDING PAD. FLAT PARCELS THROUGHOUT THE EXPANSIVE ACREAGE WITH UNINHIBITED WESTERN VIEWS, OFFER THE OPTION TO BUILD A MYRIAD OF COTTAGES AND AMENITIES TO EXPAND THE ESTATE.
The Soil
Situated atop the Mayacama Mountain range, the rocky, red volcanic soils consist of Aiken, Collayomi, and Whispering Loam. Lake County “Diamonds” (silica crystals in the hardness scale of true diamonds) are abundant. Used to make biodynamic farming preparations and in industry, these “diamonds” are a natural product of ancient volcanic activity and are found only in the Red Hills of Lake County.
Biodynamic Farming
Biodynamics is a holistic, ecological, and ethical approach to farming, gardening, food, and nutrition. The practice is rooted in the work of philosopher and scientist Dr. Rudolf Steiner, whose 1924 lectures to farmers opened a new way to integrate scientific understanding with a recognition of spirit in nature. Biodynamic farming involves managing a farm utilizing the principles of a living organism. In day-to-day practice the goal is to create a farm system that is minimally dependent on imported materials, and instead meets its needs from the living dynamics of the farm itself. It is the biodiversity of the farm, organized so that the waste of one part of the farm becomes the energy for another, that results in an increase in the farm’s capacity for self-renewal and ultimately makes the farm sustainable.