An orderly, appealing, and thriving farm embodies a thoughtful and enduring relationship between people and the natural world, in which production adds beauty and vitality to the landscape. Throughout history, and across cultures, agrarian and pastoral landscapes have been cherished as some of the Earth’s most beautiful places. One of the tragedies of industrial agriculture—beyond the fact that it has degraded and simplified ecosystems—is that it has made vast tracts of land ugly and unappealing. When farmers and farm hands enjoy their place of work, both yields and ecological practices improve.
Our commitment to building pride in agricultural world and rural life had led us to design pleasing, beautiful farms. Simple but elegant infrastructure complements ecologically responsive, tidy layout. At all of our family farms, we restore structures whenever possible and construct others using vernacular styles and local materials. Creating consistent architecture lends a unified image for the farm. We aim for our farms to set a standard for farm architecture, and have seen how these farms inspire others to consider aesthetics as a central criterion in farming.