Living - Peninsula Daily News

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Taking stock New farmers welcome a change of pace Tom and Holly Clark look over their herd at Clark Farms, 863 E. Anderson Road in Sequim. From their living room window off East Anderson Road in Sequim, Holly and Tom Clark can keep a watchful eye on their herd. The Clarks built their farmhouse four years ago, anticipating a grittier lifestyle than they’d been accustomed. Holly’s happy attitude is reflected in the living room’s bright green walls, bold throw pillows, plant life and large windows draped in white fabric, while cement floors and easily-washed furniture slipcovers keep mud from the pastures at bay. Their path to the cattle farming life was paved with Tom’s long-held dream, years of hectic scheduling and poor nutrition. For 19 years Holly taught science in the Port Angeles School District, working 60-hour weeks, while Tom stayed booked as a contractor building houses year round. For years dinners for the couple and their two kids consisted of drive-through from fast food chains, ready-to-eat meals, processed foods from the grocery store and anything else deemed quick and easy. “We were relying on everyone else to feed us,” Tom says. As the family’s stress and pace continued to spin out of control, their health showed signs of decline. “We seemed to be tired all the time, stressed and unhealthier than we had ever been before,” Holly recalls. Their son Jack, at age 14, was 60 pounds overweight, and Holly was tagged with a form of ulcerative colitis. She began to have flare ups, bloating, inflammation and low energy while teaching. Doctors put her on Asacol, a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug, and then sulfasalizine. She was allergic to the sulfa-based drug and had a severe allergic reaction that caused her neck to swell, lips to turn blue and memory to lapse. “I don’t remember a whole month,” Holly says of the time when she was using the medication. “It was scary. And a wake up call.” It was then, in 2007, that Holly started researching nutrition and with the help of help of acupuncturist Pat Flood, her focus became healing through food. The Clarks changed what they ate, eliminating fast and processed foods. A heap more veggies including leafy greens found their way into meals as well as coconut oil and garlic, pastured or grass-fed meat and wild fish. Whole grains like brown rice, turnips or parsnips also play a prominent role. Positive changes in their diet had a ripple effect. As their health turned around, Holly and Tom found the motivation to leap into a new career. Although most of his adult life had been spent in construction, Tom had always dreamed of returning to his childhood roots in farming. >> Go To The Corner of healTh & aCTiviTy aT The Corner of 7 Th & Peabody Stretchy Strong Feel Good Yoga ~ Yoga~   ~Meditation~   Yoga- all levels T/W/Th 6:00 AM        M/W/F 9:00 AM  Monday 6:00 PM    461.0998 Protect Your Health! TOO MANY TO LIST Port Angeles Senior Center 360-457-7004 328 E. 7th, Port Angeles, WA (SW corner of 7th & Peabody) Check us out at: www.portangelesseniorcenter.com 8 MARCH 2012 | HEALTHY LIVING | PENINSULADAILYNEWS.COM 22587089 Intro Special 5 Classes for $25!  Yoga Sutras Study with Salvatore Zambito, next class is  Patanjali’s Paradigm: the Vedic civilization &  foundations of Yoga  3/31 & 4/1    www.sequimyoga.com    23587093            Katherine Ottaway, MD & Rachel Swett, Office Manager Quimper Family Medicine 2120 Lawrence St. at Kearney, Port Townsend, WA We take the time to listen and explain 360.385.3826 23587180
The Clark family has a long history on the Peninsula. Since 1853, the family engaged in all manner of farming and money-making ventures — from racehorses to tulips and turkeys to timber — on land north of Sequim. Tom’s passion for farming began during childhood while helping his Uncle Elliott Clark, who owns his own farm in Joyce where he raises beef cattle and timber. Tom earned a Bachelor of Science degree in animal science-meats management from Washington State University in 1988 and spent a year in Australia, working on a 100-percent grass fed dairy farm. That internship in Australia 20 years prior helped lay the groundwork for the Clarks’ new farming operation. “We had a mission and a goal but not really a solid plan for our business,” Holly says. A family friend told the couple about a 2009 EcoAgricultural Conference in St. Louis — the Clarks attended and were totally inspired. They listened to speakers and found an abundance of resources to help them on their journey. They learned there were a multitude of formulas that could preserve Clark Farm’s pristine beauty, make their family healthier and have the potential to make money, too. Holly and Tom returned from St. Living healthy means I will... • Keep moving • Remain independent • Invest in my physical health How can we help you? www.therapeuticassociates.com Louis, put their Port Angeles home on the market and worked out a land lease with Tom’s parents. They set out to raise 100 percent grass-fed beef free of antibiotics, hormones and steroids. Their animal husbandry was and still is centered on preventive care and a stress-free environment where cattle are grazing herbivores. Animals move over a mile a day to keep them healthy, happy and their hooves in shape. Along with taking great care in the diet and exercise of their animals, the Clarks also make caring for the soil and ecosystem a top priority. They don’t use chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides, and the pastures are diverse in plant species to ensure animal and soil health. Pigs help keep menacing plants in check. Currently Clark Farm’s pigs are working in fields that have too much thistle and wild barley — the pigs eat it down, aerate the soil and replenish the soil with a more diverse fecal flora. Tom and Holly also raise their own hay and sell it to locals. Their large, 113-acre parcel is home to no more than 72 cows at a time — a small number of animals by most farming standards. Because the animals get lots of exercise, the result for consumers is a much YOUR PARTNER IN HEALTH PORT ANGELES 1114 Georgiana St. 360-452-6216 portangeles@taiweb.com facebook.com/PortAngeles SEQUIM 1400 W Washington St, Ste 102 360-683-3710 sequim@taiweb.com 23587107 leaner animal. When it comes time to slaughter a cow, Tom will move the rest of the herd into the woods to prevent the stress they feel. “They [the cows] are our livelihood,” Holly says. “And we respect them immensely.” The Clarks lost $116 on the first animal they harvested. Part of the problem, Holly says, was that they didn’t realize just how high-quality their meat was. “We knew raising animals on pasture was a good thing we just didn’t know how good until we read the research,” Holly says. Grass-fed beef isn’t easy to come by, and on the North Olympic Peninsula. Tom and Holly were the first 100 percent grass-fed beef growers to sell by the cut in Clallam County. After adjusting prices to reflect the meat’s quality, and after a steep learning curve, the farm is on its way to fiscal health, the couple says. The Clarks have found there is indeed a market for top-quality, sustainably raised meats in Port Angeles and the surrounding areas. “People are educated,” Holly says. “And they are tired of the food system.” Twenty years ago, the couple readily admits that their farming venture would have failed. But documentaries like Food Inc., locavore movements and big increases in food-related diseases and childhood obesity have all contributed to a growing awareness that it matters what people put into their bodies. And it matters maybe more than anything else. “Currently we are in a food system where food travels on average 1,500 miles to end up in the grocery store were consumers can buy it,” Holly says. She says that the number one foods subsidized by the government are corn, wheat, soybeans and dairy — foods that in excess are linked with obesity and heart disease. “We are seeing the health of America deteriorate from diseases caused by poor nutrition,” Holly says. “But, people are becoming more aware of the problems we and our food system have created,” Holly says. She says that locally, there is a growing niche for locally distributed food of high quality that supports small farmers like them who are working toward a sustainable community, clean environment and clean food. Slower pace Farming is a whole new way of life for the Clark family. “We now concentrate on what is important to us now — better health, our children, friends and our community,” Holly says. Ninety percent of the family’s meals come from raw foods traded or grown themselves. Though she acknowledges that they still have a long way to go, Holly says she has personally lost more than 30 pounds. Her main goal was to have more energy and prevent inflammation flare ups. She has accomplished both and has not been on any medication in three years. Jack, 18, went from being a 230 pound high school sophomore to a lean, 170-pound college freshman at the Washington State University. Maddie, 14, loves her role on the farm. She can be found at the Port Angeles Farmers Market helping her parents sell the family farm’s meat. Tom gets to do what he absolutely loves to do — farm and raise animals. Holly calls him the “cow whisperer.” Thankfully, Holly and Tom feel they weren’t too late to instill what they feel is a better value system in their children. “Material things come and go but health and happiness are something you need to work at every day for a long quality life,” she says. “I see my kids valuing this, too, and it makes me feel like we made the right choice to do what we are doing.” One of the great joys for Tom and Holly are hearing stories from their customers who have met health challenges with nutritional healing — Clark Farms’ meat being part of their healing diets. After 21 years of teaching in Clallam County, Holly says she knows it takes a community to raise kids, and now as a farmer she see it takes a community to raise food as well. “Local is where it’s at for the health of us as individuals, the community and the U.S. economy,” she says. She and Tom feel blessed to be a part of that local movement. — STORY AND PHOTO BY JENNIFER VENEKLASEN where to find | CLARK FARMS’ BEEF In Port Angeles, buy Clark Farms beef at Good To Go Grocery and Saturdays at the Port Angeles Farmers Market. In Sequim, find them at Hardy’s, The Red Rooster Grocery and Nash’s Farm Store. Meats are also available at Agnew Grocery, Sunset West Co-op in Clallam Bay and at the Joyce General Store. If you’re eating out, try Alder Wood Bistro in Sequim, Old Mill Cafe or Gabby’s Gourmet in Carlsborg, Kokopelli Grill or Bella Italia in Port Angeles. Climate, soils, healthy grasses and tender care create a bold flavor. PENINSULADAILYNEWS.COM | HEALTHY LIVING | MARCH 2012 9
Page 1 and 2: HEALTHYLIVING | A PUBLICATION OF TH
Page 3 and 4: aqua zumba, a trend worth trying Aq
Page 5 and 6: The typical land-based Zumba dance
Page 7: “This garden has hosted families
Page 11 and 12: Krisy said finding the time to run

Living - Peninsula Daily News

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?