Farm Operations - Heifer Program

Not All of the Farm Workers Are Human

Through a partnership with Heifer International, we are utilizing the Jones Farm in Oberlin as a training and education center for developing small-scale agricultural production systems, appropriate to cities or small farms. Heifer-supported programs include livestock (worms, bees, chickens, turkeys, ducks, pigs, sheep, and fish).

Heifer is guided by a philosophy of “passing on the gift”. Heifer has provided support through the provision of livestock, training, and connection to other Heifer-funded programs throughout the mid-West. In turn, the farm will pass on skills and livestock to help start other small farming initiatives in cities or rural areas. The Jones Farm represents Heifer’s first investment in Ohio.

Livestock at the Jones Farm are as much a part of the operation as the farmers. Heifer provided 12 beehives and bees which provide pollination services essential to crops and wildflowers. We also developed a “chicken tractor”, pictured above, which is a mobile chicken coop that is used to restore topsoil. The Jones Farm was previously a commodity grain farm and had experienced significant soil erosion and compaction which limits production. The chicken tractor is one “appropriate technology” aimed at reversing damage. About 5 inches of leaf mulch from the City of Oberlin is placed on growing beds. The chicken runs are then placed over the beds and the chickens quickly convert the leaf mulch to quality topsoil.