From SoCal to So Many Cows!

When Alex and Karis Tressel moved to Pennsylvania from the West Coast four years ago, farming was not on their radar. In fact, they didn't know anything at all about farming. They had never milked a cow or even held a chicken until they had them on their own property. The Tressels moved to Pennsylvania because Alex found a job here. They began to look for a place to live and stumbled on the property that would become The Old Road Farm. The farm is located on 62 sloping acres just west of Washington, PA, and has a land deed that goes back to 1786. Karis saw the vast potential for an ideal spot to raise their three children as well as their own food. Not only would their kids learn the value of hard work and where their food comes from, but they could become engaged in their community and help others eat healthier as well.

Karis is a naturopathic physician and comes to farming from a human health perspective. Furthermore, she believes that it is most sustainable when food is grown in the place where it is going to be consumed. They made the decision to grow food that is as nutrient-dense as possible and do it in a way that is in harmony with the environment. They are implementing sustainable agricultural practices that are building soil organic matter to capture carbon and retain water in the soil, as opposed to causing runoff, which could lead to losing valuable nutrients and adding to water pollution. The Tressel's focus is on local, community-based agriculture, including the social justice implications for their workers and the workers at the farms from which they source their grain and other products. They ensure they are working in clean, healthy, fun environments, free from harmful contaminants, and are paid fairly. 

When they decided to take the plunge into farming, the Tressels met with Tom Ulrich from the Washington County Conservation District and with folks from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). They felt like they were reaching for the moon for their family farm. This team of people assisted and has continued to support them, and has helped make their dreams achievable.  

The possibilities presented were abundant, and Karis was overwhelmed with a myriad of thoughts and visions with no idea how to accomplish any of them. She became a sponge, absorbing all she could about raising livestock, pasture management, fencing, erosion control, watering systems, and farming equipment.

But how would they pay for everything? Tom patiently guided them through their options, and the strong partnership, collaboration, and cooperation between the conservation district and NRCS made the process much simpler.  Tom introduced funding opportunities, including the Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP), which is administered by the State Conservation Commission (SCC), and the NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).  NRCS created the grazing plan and then funded the plan for the Tressels through EQIP. The conservation district designed the watering and roof runoff systems. Following the planning process, the conservation district acquired quotes for the work needed and submitted the application for ACAP. The district also aided certification of the installed practices.

Karis realized that the resources from ACAP, combined with other funding, would make a significant impact in achieving their farming objectives as well as executing the conservation practices that are so important to them and to the environment. The resulting changes they were able to implement made the farm more efficient and increased productivity. The Tressels were able to install a heavy-use protection area, livestock pipeline, a pumping plant, a spring development, water storage tanks and troughs, access road improvements, permanent perimeter and interior fencing for pasture rotation, and a roof gutter to direct rain runoff more appropriately. 

Additionally, they were able to install and connect multiple hydrants to provide water to a variety of pasture areas of which several are on a hillside. Prior to these installations, they didn't have enough water access for their 62-acre farm. They had one hydrant inside the barn with a bathtub-sized reservoir. They are raising, on average, 500 meat chickens, 300 laying hens, 12 head of cattle, 40 sheep, and 30 hogs.  Every hour they had to turn on the water for 10 minutes, fill up a trailer, and haul the water out to all pasture areas. Now they have a 1500-gallon reservoir with eight hydrants throughout the pastures, allowing them to simply walk out and turn them on to fill up the troughs as needed. 

The Tressels used to wake up every morning fraught with worry, wondering if the livestock had pushed through their old fencing and wandered off to parts unknown. The new perimeter fencing provides security for the animals as well as streambank protection. The interior fencing allows for rotational grazing without having to put halters and lead ropes on every animal to safely move them. Not only has it improved the health of the animals and the environment, but it has also given the family back the gift of time that can be dedicated to each other and to improving the farm. The projects have also provided opportunities for local contractors to not only work on The Old Road Farm but to showcase their skillset and facilitate additional growth of those businesses with other projects in the area.

The Tressels participate in local farmers markets as well as sell direct to consumers through their website and are working to obtain their permit to sell raw milk for human consumption. They also offer Airbnb accommodations which provide a rural farming experience to travelers from around the world.

The continued assistance and encouragement from Tom Ulrich at the Washington County Conservation District, the synergy created from local, state, and federal agencies (e.g., NRCS), and other organizations working together have had a substantial impact on the Tressels. However, the final financial piece to the puzzle was the availability of ACAP funding to see the projects through to fruition and lead to increased productivity and improved quality of life for the animals, the family, their five part-time employees, and the land.

Thanks to Tom Ulrich, Washington County Conservation District and Allie Shreffler, Westmoreland Conservation District for review and edits.