Kalispell, MT
Sun Hands Farm consists of 6 acres located on the west end of Kalispell in the Smith Valley. The property consists of mostly native grass pasture with about 2/3 of an acre in diversified vegetable production. The farm also hosts several environmentally controlled buildings where Sun Hands grows an assortment of gourmet mushrooms including oyster, shiitake, chestnut, black pearl king, lion's mane and many other varieties.
Sun Hands operates on the principle that healthy soil produces the healthiest food. They practice no-till agriculture in a beyond organic model. This means they use no pesticides or herbicides, even if they are organic approved. They disturb their soil as minimally as possible to preserve soil microbiology and create a regenerative system that improves their land's ecology rather than depleting it. They believe that most of their plants’ needs can be met by healthy soil microbiology and therefore their only fertility inputs come from locally sourced compost and organic composted chicken and duck manure. They treat their animals as if they are members of the family and give them the best life possible so that they can provide the healthiest eggs for the community.
The core principles of Sun Hands Farm can be summarized as such:
Disturb the soil as little as possible and avoid bare soil.
Grow a diversity of plants to create a healthy ecosystem and wildlife habitat.
Use an integrative and natural system for fertility and pest management with as few outside inputs as possible.
Incorporate mushroom production outputs into our fertility and overall ecology.
