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About the Farm
Boomflower Farm was born from the idea that farm grown doesn't have to stop at food. Local and naturally made can be in all aspects of life: from the dinner plate, to your shower, to your closet.
Our Story
Our journey to Boomflower Farm started actually with vegetarianism.
After college, I took a trip where I learned about how raising livestock in such large numbers has fundamentally changed the biosphere of so many parts of our world. The animals need land to live on, but they also require the land that grows their food. In comparison to plants, the difference in land needs is remarkable. This destroys natural ecosystems in preference for grassland or crop land, versus what might have been naturally present like forest, prairie, or woodland. This changes the biodiversity of the land, displaces native species, and can lead to erosion and poor water absorption into the soil.
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Additionally, I learned about the animal welfare and food safety regulations that producers have to follow to be able to sell their meat. While they intended to ensure the safety of the food and improve the welfare of animals from birth to death, it stopped incredibly short and made it more difficult for small producers to be able to sell their food. These regulations created very specific requirements for the harvest of animals, meaning that animals must be transported to slaughter houses alive to be processed. Animals have to leave the only home they know and travel to a space that smells of death and blood. The stress associated with this experience is then deposited in the meat from the animal in the form of cortisol that we then consume. The most humane way to process an animal is on the farm they grew up on and these regulations prevent the vast majority of farmers from being able to do that.
So I became a vegetarian because I didn't know how the food I was eating was raised.
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I didn't want to put money towards a system I didn't support. This thought process trickled into other parts of my life too. I learned about slow fashion and the environmental impact our clothes have in our world. By constantly seeking new, we sometimes lose sight of what goes into the products we buy: where the materials came from, who made it, how it got to you. I realized I could use where I put my money and effort to better support systems I believed in. I started to buy clothes that were used or searching for designers who made transparency a key part of their business. If I knew where the materials came from, if I knew who sewed my shirt, then I knew that my money was going in the right place and I wasn't unintentionally supporting businesses who paid less than a fair wage or used materials that were harmful to the Earth.
This led to questioning where I could invest my purchasing power more broadly. I started looking at the plastic in my kitchen and bathroom and how I can replace it with reusable or recyclable options. I tried shampoo bars but found that my hair was often greasy after using, so I asked myself: "Can I make a better one?" And with help from my sister in law, I did. We started growing medicinal herbs and infusing them to use in the bars to harness the power of natural ingredients, but then it also made them more effective!
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From there everything clicked.
Having a farm created the opportunity to know exactly where my food came from. We chose animal breeds that could produce food, but also contribute to our cosmetics and supplement other household items. Wool for yarn, clothes, and bedding. Milk for cheese or yogurt and lotion or soap. Medicinal herbs for all of our cosmetics and to benefit the animals. In combination, the animals could add carbon and matter back into the soil while the land provided them with the food to grow. I could care for and manage the animals while they provided me with joy, food, and so much more.
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