Back To Earth Farm
If you have joined us for dinner at The Table on a Thursday or Friday evenings, then you know we serve some of the best burgers around. But, did you know that every single burger we serve is made from local, ethically sourced, grass-fed beef? And all of it is raised just fifteen minutes up the road on 110 acres of paradise called Back To Earth Farm.
In 2013 Tom and Janice Henslee left everything they knew in Dallas, Texas including their corporate jobs, and moved to Asheboro, North Carolina to start a sustainable, regenerative farming operation. They sought an overall change of lifestyle. Neither of them had any experience with any kind of farming before, but what they did have was a vision.
They had a dream to create a space where, in their words,
“…people can get back to nature, rejuvenate, have fun, spend time with family and friends, learn, heal, eat nutritious food, be physical, reconnect with what they are passionate about, and get back to an energy filled life.”
For 8 years they have been raising grass-fed beef cattle and doing so in a way that is not only humane and ethical for the cows, but is also helping to heal the land they farm on.
Regenerative agriculture is a specific approach to food and farming systems that focuses on building up topsoil health and restoring soil organic matter, helping the water cycle, and improving biodiversity which helps heal the environment and reverse the effects of climate change.
I had the opportunity to visit Back to Earth one morning in July. Evan, Tom’s full-time farm hand and caretaker of land and cows drove me out to the pasture where the cows were grazing that day (part of regenerative farming when it comes to grass-fed beef is rotating where the cattle graze every day so as not to over-graze a particular patch of pasture, giving the grass time to regenerate and regrow).
I watched as Evan and Tom moved the mobile fence line and opened the gate. The cows were ready and waiting for their morning meal, jostling together and moo-ing loudly at one another trying to be first down the lane to bury their heads in the waist-high dew-soaked grass.
As the cows selected their respective patches I stood, watching and listening to them graze. I was stunned by the sound of it. Some three dozen cows all munching together created a bizarre and serene rhythm; a calming organic cadence. I had never heard anything like it.
“People ask me what my favorite part of the day is as a cow farmer, and I tell them this right here. The morning feeding is my favorite part of the day” ,
Tom said as we stood together, soaking in the scene.
I could see why.
As the sun raised its head above the trees ringing the pasture, the light made the drops of dew on the grass sparkle like a field of stars and the sound of so many cows chewing grass at once provided an almost meditative soundtrack. I could have lingered there for some time taking it all in, but we left the cows to their breakfast and moved on.
Tom shared with me some of the philosophy behind raising grass-fed beef and what they are doing to care for the animals as well as the land as we drove around the dirt road that snakes through the property.
Listening to him as he gave me the tour, I was moved by his passion to care for and do all he could to help the land and provide a clean food source for people to enjoy. There was a deep reverence and love for his cows and a sense of duty and sacred responsibility to the earth. I was struck by the circular nature of regenerative farming, how the grass traps carbon in the soil, how the microorganisms in the soil trade minerals and resources with the grass and how the cows eat the grass and then fertilize it and round and round it goes.
Being from a small rural town in Oregon, I was familiar with some basic agricultural practices, but had never heard someone explain regenerative farming in such a way. It seemed to me to be such a holistic and noble thing to strive for. It was truly inspiring to learn about and see in action.
“It’s not just about getting healthy soil, grass or cows, it’s about the relationship between them. Soil, plant and animal working together, trading resources and interacting with one another, that’s we’re after. That’s the key.”
He took me to another of their pastures that the cows had grazed earlier in the season where the grass was already knee-high and thriving.
At Back to Earth Farm they seed their pastures with eight different kinds of grass, all intentionally chosen for the benefits they give to the soil and to the cows.
Fescue is a tough, rugged grass that can be toxic for cows in the height of summer when it goes to seed, but in winter is a highly viable and valuable source of food for the herd. The summer perennial grasses such as Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem, and Eastern Gamma are prairie grasses and have roots that can get up to 8 feet deep, are drought tolerant, highly resistant to flooding and can withstand being submerged in water for an extended period of time.
These grasses came in handy during one of the heavy storms that blow through North Carolina in the summer months. During one such storm in June the lower pastures were flooded with over five feet of water as the creek that runs through the farm overran its banks. Luckily, the cows happened to be grazing on one of the higher pastures and were unaffected.
My time at Back To Earth was eye-opening and inspiring. I left seeing agriculture as a whole in a new light. It made me think about all the steps the food we consume takes before it reaches the plate, and how we all have a responsibility to care for the planet in all the small and big ways we can.
It left me thinking about the circular nature of food and wanting to be more conscious about the choices I make, eating local and supporting small businesses whose practices are fueled by values and who strive for excellence in all they do.
To learn more about the history of the Henslees and Back To Earth Farm visit their website at backtoearthfarm.com
Follow Back To Earth Farm on Instagram @backtoearthfarm.
Written and photographed by Nate Allen
