Polyface

Our introduction to Joel Salatin was a funny little home published  production 'Pastured Poultry Manual'

Our first 'book' by Joel Salatin

It was typed up on a manual typewriter with hand drawn figures and titles and was photocopied, hole punched, covered, read with enthusiasm and interest and now resides in our library along with many of his other books. Go to the Polyface website to find out more about this farm, the books and the movie Food inc.

We implemented many of his suggestions, visited his farm and along with many others we were inspired by what this charismatic man has achieved. We told lots of other people about him and then visited his farm in 1995. I will never forget reaching out to shake hands with this welcoming, smiling man and thinking 'don't freak out, don't even look at your hands (not to mention his!) and what ever you do stay calm'. He in fact looked at his own shining walnut stained palms then looked at me and laughed and said 'It's all fine it is not axle grease it is the stain from all the black walnuts that I have been processing'. In exchange for being a receiving point for these tasty nuts, he was being paid some money and could keep the hulls - very valuable carbon to line the floor of his winter barns.

Several years later the Salatins came to Australia and we offered to show him, his wife Teresa and their two children Rachel and Daniel around and give them a bed here at our farm. So it was with a lot of joy and anticipation that we got in our hire car and set out to Polyface to do some filming and renew old acquaintances.

Polyface - farm of many faces

Mike turns around and this is the view over the bridge and in towards the farm.

The white house is there greeting us as it did on our last visit but there are a lot of changes.

It is not only the colourful and well tended flower gardens it is the continuous streams of vehicles and people. This has become a very busy place.