In 1977, Jim and LeeAnn VanDerPol began farming near Kerkoven, Minn. Twenty years later, their son Josh and his wife Cindy joined their efforts, making Pastures A' Plenty a true family operation. For years, LeeAnn and Jim farmed using conventional techniques. After the drought in 1988, they began to make deliberate changes on their farm, including leaving less topsoil unprotected and moving their livestock outside to pastures. These changes continue to shape their farming practices as they put more of their land and energy into livestock production.
"Animals complete the farm cycle," explains Jim. "They help break dependency on off-farm inputs, but more importantly, we all like working with the animals." Hogs are the VanDerPols primary focus, but they also raise chickens and sheep, and they graze dairy heifers.
All animals at Pastures A' Plenty graze out on pasture for much of the year. The VanDerPols are proud of the strides they have made raising hogs. The VanDerPols have seen a significant decrease in the amount of vaccinations needed to keep their hogs healthy since they moved the animals outside. LeeAnn states, "The animals are healthier outside, and so are we."
Marketing their animals continually proves to be one of the biggest challenges on the Pastures A' Plenty farm. The VanDerPols are moving away from selling their livestock on the commodities market and focusing on direct sales to customers and specialty markets. These new sales venues require significant amounts of marketing efforts, which are coordinated by Josh and Cindy. The VanDerPols know that Food Alliance Midwest will educate consumers and, as a result, help farmers ensure the quality of life they deserve.
