It all turns on affection
~Wendell Berry
Our big why
How are we to live in this world?
What are the human obligations to the natural world?
We believe we are to both care for and cultivate the earth. To give and to receive. As a society and individuals, we struggle to balance these. We agree with farmers like Wendell Berry who suggest affection is the link that brings synergy rather than dissonance to care and cultivation. Affection for the soil, water, plants and animals and for our human community stirs our imaginations to see a way forward that brings health, beauty, wholeness and integrity (to mash-up two of our other favorite authors, Aldo Leopold and E.F. Schumacher). We seek to grow in affection for all that is around us, under our feet and gracing our homes.
We started Stewards Provisions to share this affection and the journey of farming and tanning it has launched us on.
Stewardship is about caring for what is not ours as if it was. With professional training in medicine and hydrogeology, we care deeply about the health of our animals, soils, water and community.
Provisions is about providing for the basic needs of our community by partnering and cultivating soil-water-plant-animal relationships.
We hope you will join us on this journey and grow in affection for all that is around you.
Our team
BAAING, EATING GRASS, TEACHING US DAILY
The Flock
A flock of small Shetland ewes were our first teachers. The matriarchs of our flock: Lou, Nutmeg and Truffle teach us and their offspring how to be adequately friendly, fearful and vocal for what they need (now!). Sheep are triple producers of milk, fiber and meat and we are annually amazed at their ability to bottle up summer sunshine into warm wool and lick-your-fingers succulent meat. The flock continues to shift as we incorporate Finn and Targhee genetics, but the sheep are still sheep - they teach best out in the field as they give us daily shepherding feedback through their vocalizations, movement and grazing patterns.
GROWING, LOOKING PRETTY, BEING EATEN, FIXING CARBON
Soil, Water & Plants
Vital to the production of any Stewards Provisions products are plants and the soil & water in which they grow. They are the foundation and report card of our work. In every flock move we make or tannery product we produce, we strive to improve the health and beauty of the land-community that supports us.
HEAD TANNER, EVER LEARNING SHEPHERD, ETC…
Javan Miner
Happiest when engaged in projects outside or with his hands, Javan is key to Stewards Provisions everyday operations. Wendell Berry’s observation that “it all turns on affection” helps guide Javan in this work. He is the one who the sheep most acknowledge as chief shepherd, thereby directing their proverbial “grass is always greener” malcontent in his direction, loudly. He is our chief tanner, assisted frequently by our enthusiastic boys. With formal training in hydrogeology and engineering he has a keen eye on how our practices affect the soil, water and plants that support us.
RINGLEADER, ANIMAL GUTTER, BACKUP SHEPHERD, ETC…
Emily Miner
Always enjoying a challenge, Emily may also be found with a child precariously perched on her back while tending to hides, sheep or chicken processing. She is key to keeping Stewards Provisions on task and organized. With formal training in medicine, anthropology, and biology she helps in ensuring that our work is pushing the land towards “health, beauty, and permanence” (E. F. Schumacher). She always has an eye on animal welfare and tending them with the utmost care. She is also quite important in thinking about the health of our products for the people who use them.