The summer and fall of 2017, Floating Islands Farm’s first year, was spent tending rotationally grazed heritage turkeys on a restored native prairie on the north shore of Lake Monongalia. One hundred and thirty birds, along with two ram lambs, spent six months moving across 8 acres, breaking down a mat of thick dead grasses and adding nutrients to the soil. 

In 2018, I’ll be taking a step back from raising animals and farming anything bigger than some garden patches with friends and family. This summer would have been my seventh consecutive summer actively working on a farming project, and I’ve decided to take at least a year off to reassess my commitment, work on some other skills, connect with the community on a deeper level, and really just catch my breath. So far I’m missing the routine of waking up with a purpose every morning and falling asleep with achy muscles and a sense of forward momentum (if not always positive progress), but relishing the freedom to travel for a couple of days here and there, spending more time with family and friends, and taking lots of classes! 

I plan to eventually farm and raise animals again, but for now I need to invest in my marketable skills. Sadly, if I continue to farm I will never be able to afford to buy my own land to farm. I’m working on the gathering the skills I need to be qualified to work on wind turbines, and continuing to work in Antarctica as well. 

Please feel free to reach out! I’ve got time this summer :) floatingislandsfarm@gmail.com