About Us

Hey there!

Sky Lakes Farm is us, Scott & Shannon McIntyre. However, the culmination of this farm is so much more than us two. This land has been here eons before us and will certainly be here long after we pass. In the big picture we are very brief stewards here. May all that we do here nourish body & spirit and imprint a better footprint than they day we walked onto it.

First, we are first-generation farmers. It’s really something to be a first generation of anything and our try is hard. We didn’t come here knowing what to do or how we were going to do it, but we knew we wanted something different than what’s been increasingly crammed out to society the last several years and counting. We have a lot support from our families in the form of sweat equity and we are thankful for the mentorship of our neighbors whom we deeply admire and respect. It takes a village, if you’re lucky. We are. May we always be humble enough to be constantly learning and listening and adapting.

When we moved here a commercial garlic crop business was already in place. We have since rebranded and made improvements from all that it was. Cue in some animals and then everything else that comes with growing & maintaining a farm, it’s a lot of work everyday. But we enjoy it and hope to be given many, many more days to carry on. At the end of a long day we like to stand around a wood fire with a cold beer to watch the sun slip behind those big, old mountains. It’s a holy experience to be a part of…truly. We often wonder why anyone would ever want to live anywhere else!

“Despite all our accomplishments we owe our existence to a 6-inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains” — and to the sun that rises each day, to the pollinators that exist, and to the One whom created it all.

Our Ethos

We believe in the benefits of regenerative agriculture. We acknowledge that traditional ways of farming hold value in what they teach us and we believe there is always room for improvement. We support multi-species relationships here starting within the soil. Soil is sacred and without good soil there is nothing. We limit tilling to preserve soil moisture and to increase nutrients. Seasonal cover crops and active & composted manures from our livestock are beneficial to soil health. We employ the use of rotational grazing of our livestock and our funny flock of hens are free ranging. Wildlife is welcome here. We believe in syncing as close to nature as we can, with what we got. This all carries over into the health of the land, through the animals and into us. We believe that feeding the world is to feed our neighbor and community, and is the right and important thing to do. May we always be resourceful and efficient in farming this land with care. 

Scott & Shannon:

Scott is from Medford, Oregon, and has spent many years serving this country and its communities. And now, he is proud to be a farmer and rancher. Scott is the talented and creative hand behind Fall River Saddlery offering custom-built western saddles, tack & saddle repair, and other durable leather goods.  

Shannon is from Corning, California (plug: part of the real Northern California!) She is also proud to be a farmer and rancher. Shannon is the Boss lady around here and her joy is caring for the animals. Shannon is the independent goldsmith behind Broken Pine Studio—her work is drawn from the deep well of the natural world and crafted through story of a life well-lived.

Thanks for being here. It's a pleasure to raise and grow food for you.

 

Feel free to visit us on Instagram. We share a little bit of everything there:

https://www.instagram.com/brokenpinestudio/