Stewards of the Land: Why Small Farms Matter

Long before we planted our first tomato or welcomed our first goat, we were restoring habitat.

When we bought this little piece of Oklahoma, our dream wasn't to become farmers. It was to create a healthier place—for wildlife, for pollinators, for the land itself, and for us. (Yes, I'm a tree-hugging hippie at heart.) We planted native species, improved habitat, and became a Certified Wildlife Habitat before we ever grew a single vegetable.

At the time, I was fascinated by permaculture and the idea that nature already knows how to create healthy, balanced ecosystems if we're willing to work with it instead of against it. And this remains part of our philosphy. 

Farming wasn't part of the original plan.

Then something unexpected happened.

Like many people who start homesteading, we quickly discovered that it's a wonderfully rewarding...and surprisingly expensive...hobby. What began as a simple conversation about finding a little income to support our homesteading habit slowly grew into something much bigger.

Somewhere along the way, our focus shifted. We realized we weren't just interested in growing food—we were passionate about strengthening our local foodshed. That realization changed everything.

Today, Tanglefoot Farm is still rooted in those same values that first drew us here. Stewardship isn't something we added to the farm; it's the reason the farm exists

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To us, stewardship means leaving the land a little better than we found it. It means caring for our animals with respect, improving the soil year after year, and growing food we're proud to put on our own table. It means recognizing that we're caretakers for a time, and that the choices we make today will affect the people and wildlife that come after us.

Every seed we plant, every amendment we choose, and every animal we raise is part of something bigger. Those choices shape the health of our soil, the quality of our food, and ultimately the community around us.

There's a quote we come back to often:

"A nation that destroys its soil destroys itself."— Franklin D. Roosevelt

Nearly a century later, those words still feel just as relevant.

We're grateful for the modern food system that makes it possible to feed millions of people every day. At the same time, we've learned that food grown close to home, cared for by people you know, and harvested with intention offers something different. It tastes different. It feels different. And perhaps most importantly, it reconnects us with the land in a way that's easy to lose in today's fast-paced world.

That's why we believe small farms still matter.

Not because they'll replace industrial agriculture.

Not because everyone should become a farmer.

But because every community benefits when people know where their food comes from, understand how it's grown, and have the opportunity to support the neighbors who grow it.

We don't believe you have to live perfectly to live well.

None of us does everything "right" all the time. We certainly don't.

But we do believe that small, thoughtful choices can make a big difference.

Growing a few tomatoes.

Shopping at a local farmers market.

Cooking one more meal at home.

Getting outside with your kids.

Supporting a local producer.

Learning where your food comes from.

None of those things will change the world overnight.

Together, though, they strengthen our communities, strengthen our local foodshed, and remind us that caring for the land is really another way of caring for one another.

That's the kind of future we're working toward at Tanglefoot Farm.

One season, one harvest, and one relationship at a time.

We'd love to have you join us.