FREDERICKTOWN — Bruce and Lisa Rickard of Fox Hollow Farm believe passionately in the life they have made for their family. The Rickards, along with their two teenaged children, Jesse and Hannah, operate a livestock farm on 287 acres on Gilmore Road. They have implemented natural, sustainable farming techniques and homesteading practices on their farm that they believe positively affect not only their own family’s well-being, but also the health of their animals and the future of our environment.
One hundred and eighty acres of Fox Hollow Farm is grass. The 800 sheep the family currently raise are moved frequently among 36 four-acre paddocks where they graze year round. Their cattle also graze intensively, eating some supplemental grain for energy, especially in the winter months. The Rickards believe grass-fed animals are healthier and provide better tasting, more nutrient-dense meat.
Fox Hollow also uses innovative marketing techniques. Besides selling their products at the Mount Vernon Farmer’s Market, the Rickards direct market their goods to consumers through word of mouth, and their Web site. In the cooler months they deliver their grass-fed lamb and beef, and free range-eggs to local customers.
The Rickards have found other markets for their meat as well. They currently have several Muslim customers who purchase lambs from them throughout the year for religious feasts and festivals. Last month they sold 27 lambs during the Muslim Feast of Sacrifice, and the customers themselves butchered the lambs at Fox Hollow, following Muslim traditions.
 The sheep at Fox Hollow Farm graze in the hoop house, a covered area for lambs and their mothers. Fox Hollow Farm follows natural farming techniques. (Photo by Melissa Nickel) |
Bruce and Lisa have been farming for the past 18 years, leaving behind fast-paced careers to make a better life for their family. According to Lisa, the decision to move from New Jersey to Central Ohio and leave the corporate world behind was one she and Bruce reached together while they were planning their family. “We knew we wanted to do something else. We wanted to be self-employed, work outside, and be together as a family. And we wanted to do meaningful work,” she recalled.
They began with eight lambs, and Bruce kept his corporate job until 1993 when the family began farming full time. Since then their operation has grown to include cattle and chickens.
The Rickards have learned a lot about sustainable farming over the past 18 years, and they are generous with their knowledge. All of the family members teach workshops throughout Ohio and in other states, sharing what they have learned from their own experiences. Eighteen-year-old Jesse will be teaching a wellness clinic for sheep at the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association conference in Granville next month. Bruce is traveling to a GrassWorks conference in Wisconsin later this month to conduct a workshop on multispecies grazing.
Fox Hollow Farm is one of two area farms used as teaching backdrops for an elective independent study course on sustainable farming offered by Kenyon College. Students of biology professor Robert Mauck spend five hours each week with the Rickards learning about natural farming, caring for livestock, homesteading skills like gardening and canning, and consumer responsibilities.
“It’s been a great thing for our students. They are learning things they can’t learn in a classroom. The Rickards have been just delightful to work with. They’re very knowledgeable and work very hard,” Mauck said.
The students come from cities including Chicago and New York, and many have no farming knowledge or experience working with animals. The Rickards have found them to be eager learners, and the class is consistently full with a waiting list.
Besides education, the Rickards are also committed to preserving the agricultural lifestyle. While farming is not always a lucrative livelihood, the Rickard family has found it to be an overwhelmingly satisfying one.
“You have to look at the payment for your life’s work as being more than just dollars if you’re going to be a farmer. Your quality of life is part of your payment,” Lisa explained. “It’s a lot more than a job. It’s a way of life.”
