Farming in a Way that Welcomes Wildlife

We intentionally farm in a way that makes room for wildlife. Deer and turkeys love our farm! I snapped the above picture while doing pig chores. A deer standing in the pig pasture. This is the way it should be! 

How do we cater to the needs of the wild things? 

We leave plenty for them to eat. 

Our farm supports diversity of forages. The deer and turkey love that. 

We also plant clover, other legumes, and forbs in areas that get disturbed by the pigs' rooting activities. Those plants are candy for both the deer and the turkeys. 

We use short fences

One other less commonly done action in support of wildlife is short fences. 

Our perimeter fences are shorter than most. They are still high enough that our docile livestock will not get out but low enough to make it easy for deer to jump across without injuring themselves. 

Our fences do very little to impede the movement of any wildlife across our pastures.

So, between ease of access and excellent critter culinary choices, our farm is an oasis. Farming is often seen as opposing healthy wildlife populations but not here. This is just one more way we strive to work within a healthy balanced ecosystem!