How Can We Help?

Our Values.
Our Passion.
Our Sense of Community.
We believe in keeping things simple, truthful, and straight forward in everything we do. We do this because we want to leave the world a better place and bring our community together, not because of a bottom line. Yes, we need to make a living too but it isn’t why we do this. 

The “kind” of farm we are has been a debated question since the very beginning. From the start we knew our goals, and we went in search of ways to best complete those goals. We added systems to our skills from regenerative agriculture, aquaculture, and vermiculture. (Just to name a few.) We took inspiration from permaculture, eco villages, and circular economies. We learned everything there is to know about dirt and what it takes to transform dirt into soil. No label can really define us, but in the end we settled on “Modern Homestead”.

There’s a lot of aspects to homesteading, but modern homesteading boils down to one key concept. Self-sufficiency.

The Cambridge Dictionary defines the word “ecosystem” as follows:

All the living things in an area and the way they affect each other and the environment.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/ecosystem

Imagine a world where our actions actually enhance the delicate balance of the ecosystem, rather than disrupting it.
At RB Farms we’ve developed and grow our crops within a circular ecosystem where each part of the cycle takes from the last and gives to the next. It’s a balance, like nature intended, where nothing is wasted and every part is self sustaining.

A circular ecosystem maximizes sustainability and minimizes waste by: 

– Recycling and reusing resources within the system, reducing the need for new inputs

– Utilizing the waste products from one process as the raw materials for another, minimizing overall waste

– Maintaining a balance between producers, consumers, and decomposers to efficiently cycle nutrients and energy

– Relying on renewable energy sources like the sun, wind, and water to power the system

– Minimizing the loss of materials through leakage or inefficient processes

Our definition of all natural goes beyond organic. At Riverbottom Farms our standard is 100% natural. To be able to put the “Organic” label on our crops and products the USDA rules state that we only need to be at 95%. Even beyond that, we strive to produce only products that were grown/created within a self-sustaining cycle. (Like our circular ecosystem.) That means SO much more – no waste, each part of the process taking from the previous and then giving to the next, everything balanced and working in harmony. That also means no unnecessary pesticides, organic or otherwise. 

At Riverbottom Farms we believe in raising our animals in a natural setting. When we let our animals live and roam with their natural instincts (versus caging them) it’s ultimately better for all of us – the animal, the farmer, the consumer, and even the environment!

Let’s take our chickens as an example. When we “pasture raise” them (versus the more common “free range”) our hens get a natural diet and a lot of sunshine. This makes our eggs healthier than free range, cage free, and caged chicken eggs. A study published on the National Institute of Health website found that pasture raised hens lay eggs that are higher in vitamins A & E and contain three times more omega-3 fatty acid content. Pasture chickens also do wonders for crops and soil. When they’re out foraging all day, they are naturally taking care of bugs that would otherwise eat crops. Plus, all that scratching for insects and worms is naturally turning and mixing manure into the soil, making it healthier.

If you’d like to know more about how we treat each animal on the farm visit our Blog Page, where all this info will be coming soon!