Why we farm
Fat Toaster Farm is located just north of the quaint little town of Rockford, Michigan.
Zach and Lindsay Oaster were not always farmers; in fact, neither of them grew up on a farm. In the autumn of 2009 they fulfilled a long-time dream, and bought a small six-acre property just 20 minutes north on US-131 of Michigan’s second largest city, Grand Rapids. Animals were soon to follow.
The journey toward a farm started at an early age for me (Zach), as my paternal grandfather was a lifelong small farmer. As a child, I made trips to Grandpa and Grandma’s house to enjoy spring lambs, Belgian draft horses, and (what are now antique) John Deere tractors.
When I was in college, I spent three summers helping my aging grandfather take care of his farm. Many hours were spent cutting wood or mowing brush, and all the while listening to Grandpa extol the virtues of the “old ways” from when farming was a family activity. It was a lifestyle that both supported the family from the land, and required little in the lines of money and consumerism to survive.
Small farming was a system that had been developed from centuries of struggle, knowledge of land management, and animal husbandry. My grandfather was a true expert – a “last of his kind” – and I caught a passion for those old ways during those summers on the farm.
Lindsay and I spent several years dreaming plans for a future farm project. We were particularly interested in how to meld the “old ways” that Grandpa had taught with new emerging ideas about ecologically sound and sustainable farming.
The dream is now realized, and Fat Toaster Farm is the result. Ancient, unimproved, “primitive” breeds of livestock are the primary focus of the farm’s animal husbandry efforts. Jacob sheep, chickens, rabbits, and a few barn cats can be seen dotting the green pasture behind the big red barn.
I am a contemporary music and worship leader with passions for social justice and loving people, and Lindsay is a professor of physics at Grand Valley State University. Both of us are passionate about farming in our spare time. The goal of the farm right now is raising as much of our own meat as possible, exploring fiber possibilities, and study (all of which should not be confused with the idea of a “hobby farm”). Lindsay has taken up crocheting and sheep-petting, while I have begun mastering the art of spinning wool fiber into yarn. Underwater basket weaving has been shelved for next summer.
The goal is to learn as much as possible and pass the knowledge along via books, blogs, and conversations. We welcome your questions, mentoring, and other contributions that can help us along the way in our journey of learning. Please contact us and visit anytime!
