Manifestos

Back in 2020, Love Farm formed three LLCs, three different businesses with unique operations, Wilds, Cooperative and Events.

Love Farm Wilds (LFW) is the custodian of 285 acres in Benzie County, Michigan. With 200 feet of elevation above the surrounding countryside, we are the high lands in the region. Our fields and forests overlook Lake Michigan, the Sleeping Bear Dunes and 6 other inland lakes. Springs flowing from underground aquifers feed two watersheds, Crystal Lake and Platte River. The ridges slope dramatically down to thousands of feet of wild shoreline on Long and Rush Lakes. LFW is both beautiful and environmentally significant.

 

The word wilds in Love Farm Wilds means Nature, or what shows up when people aren't trying to be in control. The wilds are the life support system of our planet, an emergent technology, so complex and vast that science has yet to fully understand what's going on. Human attempts to control without comprehension is perilous, history seems to show that societies out of sync with the wilds eventually collapse.

The people and the wilds can both thrive if we choose mutual benefit over control. Wilds resonance is a practice of listening to the wilds and imagining what they might want. Wilds resonance is a tuning into the innate intelligence of the wilds, and the wilds within ourselves.

LFW hosts wilds resonant projects such as milling toppled or standing dead timber, collecting sugar maple sap with minimal impact, mindful foraging for forest food and medicine and leasing to bow hunters during deer and turkey seasons. Such gentle extractive operations then fund regenerative projects like timber berms for the restoration of native ecosystems and soil support with innoculated biochar.

Love Farm Cooperative (LFC) conducts wilds resonant agricultural operations and research. Our permaculture inspired produce garden launched in 2021. Our antique apple orchard is productive and is scheduled for expansion with new fruit and nut trees. We tap a 100 acre sugarbush for Dark Energy TM maple syrup. Most of our syrup is baked into Sarah Alexander's Sleeping Bear Granola, www.bears.gift. Working with local tree services, we repurpose timber debris to support robust soil health. This includes biochar production and Benzie Terra Preta, inspired by the ancient soil technology of the Amazonian people.

LFC is exploring the productive possibilities of wild bounty such as pine cones, milk weed pod silk and white birch bark.

Love Farm Events (LFE) focuses on wilds resonant community outreach, including outdoor arts enrichment for self educating families and advocacy for pristine land and water. Outreach can include legal, community and artistic elements.

Events maintains the web presence www.love.farm, an open source archive and planning platform, enabling allies, neighbors and friends to collaborate in whatever way makes sense. Projects include poison free strategies for so called invasives, a dark sky initiative and hosting workshops for health and well being. LFE is also planning wilds resonant narrative and documentary videos.

Other companies located on Love Farm include a member based produce and bulk food buying club, Truck Garden, and Highland Flowers, a Private Membership Association that allows members access to Love Farm's assets and products. We also lease a studio building to Artist house, a film production company.