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Bramble Hollow Farm is #4TheSoil

Brent Wills (right) gives Eric Bendfelt (left) a tour of Bramble Hollow Farm.
Brent Wills (right) gives Eric Bendfelt (left) a tour of Bramble Hollow Farm.

In the Soil for Water Case Study series, eleven farm operations throughout Virginia shared their stories and management practices. The project was led by Eric Bendfeldt, Kim Niewolny, and Katie Trozzo from Virginia Tech and Virginia Cooperative Extension; Lee Rinehart and Mike Morris of the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT); and Ernie Didot of Clear Impact Productions. This series aims to share how farmers improve soil health and catch and hold more rainwater in the soil through their use of regenerative grazing practices. Thank you, farmers, for sharing your time, experiences, and insights about regenerative grazing and soil health-building systems with us and the broader community! 


Each case study on the 4 The Soil blog will highlight the people and stories behind the operation. We are delighted to highlight Bramble Hollow Farm, owned and operated by Brent and Anna Wills!


Paradigm Shift


Brent and Anna bought Bramble Hollow Farm in 2004, located along the eastern foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Bedford County. Their family raises pork and chicken on pasture and also raised other livestock and poultry through the years. Brent and Anna sell through multiple market channels including farmers markets, on-farm sales, community-supported agriculture (CSA) deliveries, participation in a food hub, and affiliation with the Edible Goose Creek farm alliance. 


In this video, Brent shared who and what influenced him and helped form his vision for regenerative agriculture, where soil health equates to plant health, plant health equates to livestock health, and, ultimately, equates to human and planetary health. We can all support soil health through the 4 core principles of soil health management: keep the soil covered, minimize disturbance, maximize living roots, and energize the soil with diversity. 


Brent sees regenerative practices as a journey and says, “That journey really starts with the farmer understanding that they can do things a little bit better.” 


Brent Wills playing guitar and singing with community members visiting the farm.
Brent Wills playing guitar and singing with community members visiting the farm.

Food as Physical and Social Medicine


"Doing things a little bit better" has led Brent and Anna to share nutritious food and build community.


Standing in the commercial kitchen, Anna shared that before and after her father’s hip surgery, she had made him chicken broth with recipes high in collagen, glucosamine, and other ingredients said to help the healing process. The chicken broth is made from processed chicken bones, including the backs and feet, and anti-inflammatory herbs like ginger and turmeric. Brent describes that the idea came from “being able to use food as medicine, both in the broth form and the product form…but also food as medicine socially.” 


On Sundays, CSA members are invited for a potluck, music, and a farm tour. "The ones that haven't been here they'll be able to see what this is so that hey maybe next year they'll want to come can tomatoes here and use our facilities for that," said Brent. "It was really kind of built with that in mind, not just for our farm but to be able to offer it for other people to use."


Watch the video to learn more about Brent and Anna's story, management practices, and the ideas behind Bramble Hollow Farm. 




Follow Along Bramble Hollow Farm



More Featuring Bramble Hollow Farm

Responsible Chicken Breeding - Episode 14 featuring Anna Wills, Sustainable Poultry Network - USA


To dig into the resources that Brent mentioned, check out the Virginia Soil Health Coalition blog post Bramble Hollow Farm: A Soil for Water Case Study.


See all the farmers' and ranchers' stories from the Soil for Water Video Case Studies on the Virginia Cooperative Extension's YouTube channel.

 
 
 

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