2023 Local Food Guide

of Carbon Harvest, a regional
carbon offsets platform funding
agroforestry projects.
“The animals struggled in hotter
months on the portions of the
property without trees,” says
Jake. Hauling shade structures
isn’t practical and can result in
over-impacted areas around the
structures. Trees provide natural
shade as well as fodder through a
process known as chop and drop.
“Basically, we cut down portions
of the trees, feed it to the animals,
and it will regrow.” That gives
them an organic feed supplement
the farm can produce on its
own, rather than purchase, and
adds another layer of diversity.
“Those deep-rooted trees will pull
minerals up to the surface that
grass is not able to, and both the
animals and the grass will reap
the benefits.”
Connecting with
Customers
To ensure that no part of the
animal would be wasted, Crow
Fly began with a whole animal
sales model, with minimums of a
half hog, whole lamb, or quarter
beef. Jake pitched his specialty,
high-end product to Asheville
restaurants and developed strong
relationships with Chestnut
and Blackbird. Animal shares
were a way to connect with
neighbors. But after about a
year they realized they wanted
a more accessible product. “We
pigeonholed ourselves a little,”
admits Jake. This winter, Jake
and Luna started selling smaller
meat boxes at farmers markets
in Asheville. They worked with
their processor to create custom
bundles that make use of every
cut. “We still know the whole
animal is being used, but it’s an
approachable amount of meat for
someone to purchase.” Bundles
vary from two to four pounds of
meat to larger sampler sizes.
Farmers markets are also an
important place to tell their story.
“The best way to sell our product
is to talk to literally one person
at a time,” says Jake. “We’re
educating consumers about the
way we manage our farm, why it’s
important, and why it’s different
than what you would typically
see. This is a more labor intensive
and expensive way to raise
animals, but people are buying
into what we’re doing and they
believe in us.”
After a calf is born, it will be three
years before it’s processed. In
that time, Jake will have moved it
around the property five hundred
or more times. He will have
physically set up paddocks for
each of those moves and hauled
water to the animals around
a thousand times. “So much
care and work goes into raising
animals in this system,” he says.
Farm tours are another way to
show that effort. “ASAP’s Farm
Tour [in September 2022] was
amazing for us and introduced
lots of new customers,” says
Jake—though he admits it
strained his voice. “I spend most
of my days not speaking because
I’m around animals,” he laughs.
The farm began offering tours
by appointment this year, giving
people an up-close look at the
animals and a chance to hear
Jake’s passionate explanation of
his farm practices. “Some farms
don’t want customers to see
behind the scenes, but this is
something we want to show off.”
appalachiangrown.org Local Food Guide 43