Our Farming Philosophy

The owners of Fresh Ayr Farm take pride in producing crops in a manner that protects and improves our farm resources.  We are environmental activists, working to protect our neighbors and the open space around us.

We practice:

1. Zone-tillage to protect our soils, tilling only a small area around the seed to preserve soil structure, and leaving residues from previous crops on the surface to protect our soils from erosion.

2. Cover cropping to capture left-over nutrients from harvested crops and to increase soil organic matter for future crops.

3. Integrated Pest Management  to use only the amount of fertilizer and pesticides needed for healthy crops.  Crops are scouted, and if pests aren’t there, we don’t spray. 

Principles of Zone Tillage

1. Till to plant your crop, not grow weeds.

2. Fertilize the crop, not the weeds.

3. Don't burn up organic matter, leave it alone to keep soil covered.