The Summers Farm is a 120 acre diversified family farm. Fields are planted in hay, spelt, corn, barley and soy beans. Two fields are used for pasture and 20 acres of certified organic pasture are rented from an adjacent neighbor. In addition to growing organic grains, the farm also raises organic beef, chicken and turkey. Making use of the birds to improve the quailty of a small apple orchard served as the initial interest in on-farm research.
The farm is seriously and scientifically managed, but is not relied on for the family income. Off-farm employment has always comfortably sustained the eleven member farm family. The farm's produce supplements the family diet. It is also sold off the farm -- grains marketed through OCIA, the meat and poultry through local subscription sales. While attention is paid to improving production and sales this is not the primary reason for the family's involvement in agriculture.
The farm which has been organic for 10 of its 20 years is an instrument of the farmer's deeply held religious values. He feels that the farming lifestyle has given his children a sense of responsibility and a basic reverence for life and nature. It places emphasis on involvement in God's work rather than on excessive and meaningless consumption.
As an extension of these beliefs, the farmer believes that there is a right way to farm just as there is a right way to live. For him, order and beauty are closely related and sustainability, which maintains both, is something that can be achieved through the continuous application of experience and scientific knowledge.