STAPLES FARM

Gabe Brown, a leading figure in regenerative agriculture, brought widespread attention to six key principles of soil health. 1. Context 2. Minimize Disturbance 3. Soil Armor 4. Diversity 5. Living Roots 6. Animal Integration These principles are part of our regenerative plan. For years, obtaining a no-till drill was a significant challenge, often forcing us to plant outside the ideal windows for fall and summer cover crops. We overcame this hurdle last fall by purchasing a Great Plains 1006NT, allowing us to plant on schedule. In Oklahoma, April is a challenging month for planting as it is generally considered too late for spring oats and too early for warm-season crops. My dad always believed that successful farms are built on a willingness to experiment, whether that means trying a new plant variety, method, timing, or type of fertilizer. Today, we’re planting the one-acre plot where our pigs grazed late last fall with a diverse seed mix, including: * Forage Oats (50 pounds) * Yellow Peas (50 pounds) * Buckwheat (5 pounds) * Chicory (5 pounds) * Forage Collards (1 pound) * Forage Kale (1 pound) * Red Mammoth Fodder Beets (2 pounds) * Berseem Clover (4 pounds) We also threw in the alfalfa, GA9908 red clover, and Daikon Radish seeds (1 pound) that we cleaned out of the no-till last fall. The early growth of oats and peas supports the establishment of the other plants. The brassicas (collards, kale, and radish) develop deep roots and provide excellent grazing for our pigs. Chicory mines minerals from deep within the soil, while the fast-growing Berseem Clover, technically not a true clover, delivers high-quality forage. Buckwheat is notable for scavenging phosphorus and being rich in lysine, an essential nutrient for pigs. Fodder beets offer high-energy forage, though our current grazing schedule prevents them from reaching full maturity. Although cool-season plants dominate, this multi-species blend is designed to extend grazing into the warmer months. The Buckwheat, Chicory, and Berseem Clover were gifts from Tom Ross of Ross Seed Company. Tom and his son Mason have been strong supporters of our mission to produce high-quality forage for our pasture-pig operation. We are still missing animal integration across our farming operation, which I consider the most important principle of soil health. In the coming months, we hope to solve this issue by adding pasture-raised broiler chickens, hair sheep, and cattle to the farm. -Leo

Wishing you an Easter filled with joy, love, and cherished moments surrounded by family and friends. Happy Easter from The Staples Farm Family!

Last fall, a potential customer visited the farm, eager to learn about purchasing a whole butcher pig. After a tour and some conversation, he decided to order a pig and paid a $400 deposit. As the processing date drew near, he contacted me to ask what size freezer he should buy. Because I have a Pro account at Lowe's and often help friends and family get appliances at better prices, I offered to order a freezer for him. He ended up saving about $100 on the freezer and $20 on delivery, which thrilled him. A few weeks ago, he picked up his fresh pork and called the next day, expressing his amazement at the quantity of meat. Then, just last Thursday, he phoned to see if we were home. Moments later, he arrived with a freshly baked pecan pie as a thank-you gift. Our family enjoyed the pie together at dinner this evening. Thank you, Jeff! March 2026 saw Oklahoma set several daily high-temperature records and was the hottest March on record. As a result, drought conditions continue to worsen, with the entire state at the moderate to extreme level. The National Weather Service predicts we will get 4 inches of rain in April, but even that won't end our drought. If we don't get rain this week, we will lose our spring hay crop. Even if it rains, the drought will still negatively impact hay quality. If that wasn't enough, the USDA reports that hay producers are operating at near break-even levels. The sudden rise in fuel costs only makes the situation worse. Each year, we get calls and texts in November from folks who need to buy hay. Regardless of who you buy from, we encourage you to buy hay early and only buy tested hay. It's often said that farmers are the original gamblers due to the unpredictable nature of agriculture. Most of us are driven by our love for the land, livestock, and family legacy. While grocery prices continue to rise, the farmer's share of every dollar Americans spend on food has continued to decline, and according to the USDA, it is now at 5.8 cents. The rest goes to processing, packaging, transportation, retail stores, and marketing. It is self-serving to say this, but the only way to fix the problem is for consumers to buy directly from local farmers and ranchers. -Leo

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A few weeks ago, I set out to find a better way to connect our gates and hang polywire reels on a t-post without risking shorts on the electric fence. I found a ready-made solution at Premier 1 (photo 1) for $3.60 each. With a bit more research, I found the pin-lock t-post insulators (photo 2) for just $0.52 apiece. I sketched a rough design for a custom piece to attach an insulated gate handle and handed it off to Andrea. Andrea translated my sketch into a detailed model using Autodesk Fusion and brought it to life with the 3D printer. The materials for each gate connector cost only $0.07, so paired with the pin-lock insulator, our total cost is $0.59. Together, Andrea and I brainstormed ideas for a polywire reel holder. She designed and tested a prototype, then finalized the version shown in the last photo. Each polywire reel holder uses $0.71 of filament. These prices do not include the cost of the 3D printer or Andrea’s time. We’ve used these new pieces for several weeks now, and they work remarkably well. Andrea’s creative vision and design expertise are a blessing to our operation. -Leo