Hey! I'm Jonathan. I live with my wife, Jessica on an 80 hectare property about an hour outside of Brasília, Brazil in the middle of the Brazilian Cerrado. Our longtime friend, Sarah, partners with us. We have one small indoor dog, 5 larger outdoor dogs, and 2 recovering feral cats (mostly outdoor)!
We raise goats, mostly for milk. We just acquired a mini Jersey cow and bull. We have several chicken yards - for eggs, pest management and at times meat.
Our primary agricultural project is our syntropic food forest. We are attempting to establish a regenerative silvopasture system. We also have raised organic garden beds for more traditional produce. We have one neighbor who works for us, who tends to this area, and helps care for the livestock. We do not use any synthetic fertilizers or pesticides and are currently working on our organic produce certification.
We love the Cerrado biome! One of our goals is to incorporate as many native species into our production as possible. We are constantly learning about "new" native fruits and plants! We never stop learning!!
Typical activities include planting, pruning and weeding prepping compost bins, loosening soil for new beds, prepping rows for planting, gathering seeds etc.
We are also constantly trying to find creative ways to most fully use whatever is in abundance: drying, fermenting, freezing, processing into other products... we try to waste as little as possible.
An average day could look like harvesting beans, then shelling... or pruning undergrowth or overgrowth to use as either fodder or to build soil biomass. It could also involve collecting materials to build a static compost bin, then building the bin. Another possibility could be to tend seedlings and weed inside the plant nursery.... The possibilities are nearly endless!
We tend to work mornings until around noon and then only return to work outside after 3ish until dark. So, any window in those times is great. We normally stay indoors during the hottest hours of the day.
We cook most meals from scratch. We are usually "on our own" for breakfast, with oats, eggs, goat milk, yogurt, cheese, other porridge options, veggies, seasonal fruit... and coffee typically on hand. We have tea options too, but Sarah and I are former baristas so we have everything necessary for serious coffee, lattes, etc.
Lunch is usually together, for whoever is home. Since we alternate cooking days we will either have a fresh lunch and leftovers for dinner, or the opposite. (Rice, beans, potatoes, pasta greens and meat a couple times a week) Both these meals will usually be in the living/dining room area, if the day's activities allow.
We have both a guest room - with its own restroom and a guest house, which also has a kitchen. The room has an entrance through the backyard that bypasses the main part of the house, for privacy. The guest house is pretty small, but has a bathroom, bedroom and kitchen, and a covered porch. No air-conditioning, but fans will be provided. Access to both is through the back yard, though we intend on building a separate entrance to the house, for those who are less comfortable with the bigger dogs. The dogs are friendly, once warmed up to a person, though they try and put on a tough face for strangers. Usually it only takes a few minutes of intentional interaction for the dogs to get used to someone.
We are working to extend our wifi to the guest house, but the signal is reliable in the main house!
We sometimes play music and like to sing! We like to visit coffee shops when we get out into the city. We hike and share all of our nature treasure findings! We like to take short road trips to visit other farms or hiking spots. We read and sometimes watch shows in the evening. We love trying new recipes, especially to use produce or add value to an abundant product! There are plenty of nearby places to hike. We really enjoy being part of our local small producer community, so we tend to participate in lots of small gatherings and meetings. This is especially enjoyable as most of us have different focuses on our production and have tips and experiences to share!
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Poultry farming
Sheep or goat farming
Dairy farming
Wild foraging
Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Bakery
Food justice / sovereignty
Methods or systems
Community-supported agriculture (CSA)
Regenerative agriculture
Rotational grazing
Host type
Production farm
80
Hectares
|
197.7
Acres
