Tools

Journey to a Sustainable Life

by KREX News Room
by Amanda Brandeis

Story Created: Jul 28, 2012 at 10:56 PM MDT

Story Updated: Jul 29, 2012 at 9:50 AM MDT

PAONIA, Colo.- In 2010, one couple in Paonia made a decision. That decision was to never go back to the grocery store.

Alison Gannett, one of the farmers, said, “We’ve been able to freeze, dry, can and grow almost everything we’ve needed.”

She and Jason Trimm have what’s called an integrated farm. “The priority is firstly for ourselves, to get us through an entire year, sometimes more than an entire year because sometimes cherries don’t happen every year,” said Gannett.

At Holy Terror Farm, everything from the pigs to the produce has a purpose.

Gannett said, “We have the chickens in the orchards to eat all the pests. Then we’ll also be using the chickens to provide fertilizer. Then we have the orchards which provide for the pigs. Then we have the pigs which provide fertilizer for the gardens. Everything kind of works in sync. We try to mimic nature’s strategies the best we can.”

There’s only a handful of items that they have to get elsewhere. “We’re very addicted to coffee and we are very unable to grow coffee here,” said Gannett.

The couple say they’re learning new things everyday. In 2010 hail destroyed nearly all of their fruits and vegetables. They built a high tunnel to protect the crops and extend the growing period for months.

Gannett said, “I would saying farming and ranching you're learning so much your brain could explode every day.”

NewsChannel 5 asked Gannett if she misses anything about her old lifestyle. She says could never go back to it. “We really want to have everything raised as healthy and happy as possible,” she said.

Their lifestyle may seem unbelievable to some. Gannett says every farm is a little different, and theirs is no exception.

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