Located in Holmes County, our very own Trevor Clatterbuck has recently added "farmer" to his title. In 2015, Trevor started working with the farm (which was previously managed by another farmer/owner) to source a variety of products -- organically raised produce, pasture raised meats,  baked goods made with wheat flour & local grains and canned goods (processed on-site and made with local ingredients). The team that started farming at WVF was motivated and ready to expand. Overtime, Fresh Fork became the largest customer for the farm. As Fresh Forks business continued to grow, Trevor saw the trend/demand for more pasture raised meats.

This is where Trevor adds "Farmer" to his list of titles. To guarantee that the livestock would be raised and reserved for Fresh Fork, Trevor purchased several grower animals and started helping to invest in property improvements like fencing and farrowing barns for the animals. At the same time, the owner of the property was interested in selling the land to someone who would help make sure the farm continued. After a few years of a lease-to-own deal, Trevor purchased 88 of the 200 acres of the farm. At this time, the expansion & growth of the livestock program began. New structures were created for improved pig farrowing -- a place for the sow & her piglets to be safe from the external conditions while the piglets grew big & strong enough to be weaned. Once the pigs had been weaned and healthy, they moved to outdoor pastures where they can root around for root crops, bugs and so much more. The amount of fencing that's been put in since 2015 is significant. Pigs can root through pretty much anything! A peep shack was also built for the expansive pasture raised chicken (broiler) program. For 4-6 weeks, the little peeps grow in what starts out as a 95 degree sheltered building while they get strong enough to regulate their own temperature. After that, the chickens are moved to organically treated pastures under shade wagons or in "chicken tractors". The chickens are then moved to a new piece of grass everyday for the next 8 weeks. And finally, the grassfed beef program (start-to-finish grass only) has evolved and become more precise over time. 3 fields have become completely dedicated to grazing for the beef. The beef are moved several times each day to a new patch of grass. With these 3 fields, it gives the grass enough time to grow back after grazing for a continuous rotation.

The on-site commercial kitchen was also impressive to Trevor. A place where the products produced are not only made locally, but also have locally grown product included in each recipe. Most recipes have 100% locally sourced products. Not to mention, all the ingredients are ingredients you can find in your own kitchen -- no unnecessary stabilizers, preservatives or fillers. The farm kitchen has also evolved and produces are a variety of products that have been Fresh Fork Favorites -- seasonal fruit pies, buttercream sugar cookies, whole wheat breads & crackers, pepper butter, a line of salsas & hot sauces, canned fruits, seasonal jams and grape cider.

As for the produce, Wholesome Valley Farm is transitional organic. Meaning they are using all organic farming practices (this also includes the pastures for the livestock) to receive their organic certification. The produce team partners with local vendors that provide organic fertilizers to boost the overall health of the soil + nutrients in the produce as it's growing. Organic produce comes with it's challenges to bug defense and every year we work on improving this. Some of our favorite products include: leaf lettuce (pretty much all season long), tomatoes (so many tomatoes -- romas, heirlooms, cherries), peppers, and potatoes.

We are fortunate to have this farm as part of our family of companies. Trevor has learned so much more about farming, good growing/raising practices and how to be sustainable by actually being "the farmer". This is as direct the saying "farm-to-table" can get!