Flock of free-range chickens roam near the mobile chicken coops.
For Kerry Ritchie, president of Alcove Farms, nutrient-rich, pasture-raised eggs are just a symptom of the farm’s overall goal; sow, grow and restore the soil of their land.
Alcove Farms began in 2016, nested within the Lubbock city limits on 4th Street and Alcove. Ritchie and his team of farmers contribute to the Wolfforth Farmers Market on Saturdays, as well as local Market Street grocery stores. Furthermore, the farm’s range of products also includes pasture-raised poultry — sold whole or in parts — and an online purchasing process is now available to customers according to their website.
Ritchie handles one of the chickens from the Alcove Farms flock.
The most imperative ingredient for a thriving natural farm is healthy soil, Ritchie said. Alcove Farms uses a specific farming technique called regenerative agriculture.
This ancient method of farming is a system of principles and practices that can assist in boosting biodiversity in soils while improving the overall quality of the land, according to www.regenerativeagriculturedefinition.com. The ultimate goal of this method is to reverse damage implemented on soils by current farming trends, such as monocropping.
Monocropping is the process of growing only one crop over multiple years in conjunction with an absence of cycling through varying crops.
Alcove president Kerry Ritchie (left) and farmer Shawn Peacher (right)
Alcove Farms is settled on land that has been put through this harsh cycle for generations before. The farmer’s ultimate mission is to return the soil to its original lively and healthy condition. Once the soil has returned to a more fertile state, there is more opportunity for a variety of crops to thrive, as well as become more pest and disease resistant.
President Kerry Ritchie explains how the process works in simple words.
Protectors of the flock, these Great Pyrenees ensure the chicken’s safety.
“Cows, God’s natural mowers, go first and eat the grass. Following behind are the chickens, God’s natural tillers that forage on the ground and till the land as they scratch,” Ritchie said. “You follow behind the chickens with water and sunlight, and this process creates the richest soil over time. Then, you do it all over again until you have restored the land from dry and dusty, to fertile.”
Regenerative agriculture is not popular is West Texas, Ritchie said. Alcove Farms is the only farm in the Lubbock area implementing the regenerative process.
But the Alcove team doesn’t want to stop there. Ritchie hopes in the near future to expand beyond the 4th Street and Alcove white-fenced boundaries into various parts around Lubbock.
After partnering with the Texas Tech University Department of Plant and Soil Science in 2017, the Alcove team has seen positive results after measuring the soil to reveal the benefits of regenerative farming,
The flocks of chickens prefer to stay outside during the day, and inside the mobile coops at night, Ritchie said.
which has sparked motivation to introduce this successful practice to land outside of Alcove Farms.
With well over 500 free-range chickens, Alcove Farms has equipped Lubbock grocery stores and farmers markets with products that not only feed people nutritionally, but enhance the condition of the land by sowing, growing and restoring the natural way.
For more information about this local farm, or to order fresh, local poultry products, visit https://www.alcovefarms.com/products
EDIT: An earlier version of this article indicated that Alcove Farms contributes to the Lubbock Downtown Farmers Market, which is incorrect. Alcove Farms contributes to the Wolfforth Farmers Market year round.
About Kalli Gardenhire
