![Katy Giombolini](https://blogs.uoregon.edu/cscenter/files/2013/07/katy-and-the-chick-16zv5ol-225x300.jpg)
I was a vegan for about four years and still rarely eat meat, and it’s strange to now find myself raising chickens, ducks, rabbits, goats, and turkeys. At the beginning, I struggled with raising animals for meat; it just seemed weird to me. But as time goes on, I realize how animals are an integral part of many farm operations especially in terms of fertilizer. Many vegetable farms rely on manure and other animal byproducts to boost their soil fertility.
There are many lessons learned from my RARE AmeriCorps service year working at the farm. A big one is, “even if you think the animals couldn’t possibly do it, it probably means they can and will.” I’ve been amazed at how animals can get out of their pens. Goats could seriously best many escape artists. I swear our bunnies teleport to the other pens (I have yet to actually see them hop over their barriers). Our new baby goats figured out how to unlatch the door to their pen to get out. Another lesson learned is “we can fix it later” means that whatever dinky thing we did to make something work will be there until it breaks. It also means that doing the best job we can do the first time is better than having to fix something later.
This experience has also changed my perspective on life and death. Life and death are common occurrences on a farm—from wilting plants in the greenhouse to the arrival of baby chicks. I not only remember having a new born bunny die in my hand (not a good day), but also remember the joy in watching a seed sprout. It still blows my mind that something so tiny becomes something so big.
This farm is only in its second year of production, its sprouting stage, but we are already doing educational programs with K-12 students, working with our neighbors to collectively buy and sell products, and, as we continue to grow, acting as a resource to others interested in small livestock production, habitat enhancement projects, and small scale vegetable and feed production.
About the Author: Current RARE member, Katy Giombolini, is placed with Cascade Pacific Resource Conservation and Development where she works on an array of projects including: development of a needs assessment for McKenzie River Valley Farmers, helping coordinate the Local Food Connection, and further developing the ‘Incubator Farm’ program at the Berggren Demonstration Farm, wherein beginning farmers lease a small parcel of land for a fixed period of time, share tools with other farmers, and have access to on-site mentorship opportunities. Cascade Pacific Resource Conservation and Development is a nonprofit organization established in 1989 to support positive environmental, social and economic change in local communities.