Welcome back to the Rancho Roundup. Since the last edition, there have been a lot of exciting changes. So, pour yourself a nice cup of tea and get ready to dive into some exclusive content for our Rancho Roundup subscribers.
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We are Preparing for Our Public Debut |
In short, what we are doing and plan to do here at Almasomos, will soon be publicly available for comment by members of our surrounding communities. We consider the larger community to be a vital part of the living ecosystem we are building here, and to ensure Rancho Almasomos is responsive to community interests, we’ve added another member to our team: Our new Public Relations and Events Director, Kevin Wheeler.
Kevin will be our shining public liaison for this endeavor and the spokesperson for all we hope to accomplish. He brings more than 20 years of experience from a variety of different sectors and is focused on cultivating and elevating the experience of Rancho Almasomos in the local community. On a personal level, Kevin loves to spend time in the beautiful outdoors with his wife Mary and his two young daughters Neva and Mabel, who attend the Waldorf-inspired Running River School in Sedona. He also volunteers with the Red Cross disaster team. If you have questions about our plans for Rancho Almasomos or an interest in hosting an event on our property, Kevin is your guy.
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From the beginning, Rancho Almasomos’s goal has been two-fold: (1) to become a new kind of agritourism destination, one designed to reconnect people to the land and the food that comes from it and (2) to more consciously align them with the health of the larger living ecosystem of this planet. We are committed to repairing the soil through regenerative farming practices, providing nutrient-dense food and offering one-of-a-kind experiences to visitors from our very own Verde Valley and to guests from other parts of the world.
Our greatest desire is to strengthen, restore and share the experience of this magical place, and our vision for Rancho Almasomos only gets clearer with the support of our fans. You are the spark that lights our way as we travel the long road ahead of us to fully realize our dream. Our plan for Almasomos requires a zoning change, which calls for a public hearing.
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You have already demonstrated your appreciation for our mission and goals in many ways, from talking to one of our team members, signing up for this newsletter, coming to our events and following us on social media. Your efforts have already made a world of difference to us, as we move into this next phase, we would love to tell you more about what we are doing. Kevin looks forward to hearing from each and everyone of you. We would love to talk about how to further include you in this next stage of our growth. |
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At Rancho Almasomos, as in biodynamics generally, we see all animals as a vital part of our living farm organism and are grateful for the many gifts and services they give us. Their welfare is a top priority.
Part of our journey to be Arizona’s first certified biodynamic farm is to create a space that allows our animals to be themselves, uninhibited by the human restraints animals experience in today's factory farms. While we may not — at this time — have all of the resources necessary to do things exactly how we’d like to, we always find creative ways to achieve this goal, like taking our donkey and pony for walks and moving them through rotational grazing paddocks every day. And, of course, our livestock guardian dog, Recon, is on duty to protect the chickens from predators so they can live their happy free-range life in the future.
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Cows and goats are a fundamental part of the balance and functioning of a biodynamic farm, not just a food source to be butchered, milked or otherwise consumed. Cows, goats and other ruminants have a unique way of ingesting and processing their food — they chew, regurgitate and then re-chew their food. To do this, they have an additional stomach, called the rumen, which allows them to store their food and ferment it to extract more nutrients. There are many animals in the ruminant family, like goats, deer and even giraffes, but larger ones, such as cows and buffalos, are the most productive contributors to a biodynamic farm because their powerful four-part stomach fermentation process creates superior quality manure for composting and soil fertility. In addition, the manure acts as a key ingredient to our biodynamic preparation 500
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Cattle can be a powerful tool for positive environmental change. With proper, intensive grazing management, cows will actually revitalize the soil through their unique method of digestion and nutrient-heavy manure deposits. Their hooves naturally aerate the soil by allowing more moisture to penetrate the surface. It's not just a rumor, healthy soil is mission number one in biodynamics and ruminants are a big part of it. |
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Spring is Here, and We Have Some Exciting Plans on the Horizon! |
It is almost officially spring! March 20th is the Spring equinox — the day that marks the official switch from winter to spring. It signals some big shifts for us too. This is the time of year when farm work picks up, and we are busy planning our gardens. We have more seed packets to plant than we can count. This year we are going to be experimenting with a wide variety of herbs and veggies that we can't wait to grow and show you. Get ready to see some funky vegetables like red, green, purple, and blue corn! |
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Now that spring has sprung, we have a thrilling announcement for Rancho Almasomos fans: We will be throwing our first Earth Day Festival on April 22nd! It’s going to be so much fun. We would love for you all to come and join us! The details are still being worked out, so stay tuned for more information. Details will be forthcoming in next month's Rancho Roundup.
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If you received this edition of the Rancho Roundup from a friend, you can sign-up for our newsletter yourself with the button below.
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" Wherever love and compassion are active in life, we can perceive the magic breath of the spirit blowing through the sense world."
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We look forward to seeing you in April’s Rancho Roundup. In the meantime, we are
not-so-patiently awaiting the arrival of Patches’ (the cow’s) anticipated calf, readying the spring plantings, and planning our big Earth Day event.
Don’t forget to find us on social media so you don’t miss out on our latest announcements and offerings. Wishing you all the luck of the Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. May your heart be light and full of joy!
For more ranch updates, follow us on :
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