Stefano and Tessa Creatini – Desert permaculture at Eagle Springs Farm
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A young couple doing regenerative agriculture based out of Durango, CO with a 180 acre farm. • Showcasing farmers • Hemp entrepreneur • Growth mindset Co-Founder of Durango Botanicals.
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A walking tour of Eagle Springs Farm and the progress we have completed so far. Located in Durango, Colorado. We built a 7 acre main pond with an island and three smaller fish ponds. More videos to come!
Just a quick update on the farm. New pond not filling up.
After two years of no farm updates (sorry), I give a quick tour of the farm I live on: • My 25+ pasture-raised pigs are taking a break from pasture over the winter. • I reveal my system where I use wood chips and make premium compost from them. Shockingly, by my estimates, the compost is more profitable than the meat from the pigs. • I show my greenhouse, the heating system failed and I lost 300+ tomato plants where I was hoping to net $10K, after costs. • I am getting ready to grow my crops for 2021.
Here’s a quick video of how I net close to $1,000 per pig I raise on the farm. I raise hyper-locally fed pigs, which are fed: raw goat milk, apples in season, local non-GMO corn, and wheat shorts from a processed flour mill. Pigs convert around 3.5 to 4 pounds of feed to 1 pound of body weight with my type of feed. From beginning to end, they will consume around 1,200-1,400 pounds of feed until butcher weight. In the summer time, the pigs are able to forage hay for additional feed.
After being penned up all winter long, the pigs finally get some spring pasture. They have two months before the USDA butcher date, were I will sell the pork at the farmers market here in Durango. The flavor of this heritage breed is off the charts. Being on pasture gives them that flavor and makes them happy. They are also eating down the weeds, and will help me place a summer wild garden in the fields followed by fall cover crops.
Running a backyard nursery this spring has been very profitable. I show the ropes on how I run the business, and how anyone can do it as well.
I love compost tea! I have been able to reduce my fertilizer bill to pennies. There are companies charging well over $4,700+ for the “vortex brewer” that I built for just under $1,000.
Since last year, it’s been hard not being able to travel or get out as much. So this Valentine’s Day, I wanted to do something special and memorable for Tessa.
