About Lilly Valley Farm – A Regenerative Farm in Southern Arizona
We are a family-owned and operated regenerative farm in the beautiful desert of Vail, Arizona. We believe food should be grown in a way that honors both animals and nature.
Although faced with unique challenges in our region, we believe that holistic practices are the most valuable part of how we manage our daily operations. Healthy and contented animals along with a healthy environment are what contributes so much to our health.
Chickens and turkeys have the right to have essential needs met: dirt to dig, forage, and bathe in, fresh greens to eat, enough space to move freely, the comfort of a shelter, and fresh air and sunshine. Sheep also need the space to forage and have a varied diet of grasses.
Pasture-rasing means healthier animals and healthier food for you.
But what is regenerative farming, and why should I care? This is a buzzword in the world but it is far from being just a term to hide behind in hopes of fooling the public. (Like so many marketing terms that are used to greenwash consumers!)
Regenerative farming means that everything serves a purpose and very little is wasted.
In our poultry and egg layer operations, it starts with the chicks. We receive chicks from the hatchery and grow them in brooders with wood chips for bedding. That bedding becomes compost for seeding pasture grasses and nourishing the garden. (Waste water is used for watering the grass and trees because we wash out feeders and waterers where the plants can benefit. )
Our sheep also help to nourish our grass and trees while grazing, and their bedding also serves an important role through the resulting compost material.
This process continues with the natural function of the plants to absorb nitrogen and carbon dioxide and turn it into oxygen. The energy of the sun cleanses the soil and grasses as they grow and the cycle continues. This way of farming is nothing new, but simply a time-honored way to grow high-quality food while enriching the land.
Every day presents opportunities to nourish our bodies and the quality of the food we eat matters. We want to share the harvest of locally grown, ethically-raised pastured meat and eggs with our community.
-Carlos & Candace (and kids!)
Our Farm is located at
1912 W Baylee Drew Ln
Vail, AZ 85641