Our values have held strong through four generations because they are rooted in the fundamental connection to and respect we have for the animals and the land. Grandpa Jack, the second generation in our families’ line of farmers, exemplified these values. In fact, we thought of him as a walking farmer’s almanac. He was so in touch with nature because he was on the farm every day, making thoughtful observations about the birds, the trees and overall surroundings. And he was pretty darn close to right most of the time. Simply put – he just had ‘the touch’.
Just like Grandpa Jack, we know the importance observing the way nature works and ensuring our practices uphold natural systems, which offer the most elegant, simplistic and effective solutions. While gifts from nature have been given to us, it’s our job to figure how to make the most of them. We live by the mantra, “Nature always wins or nature always has the last word”.
We have developed the confidence to trust our values and upbringing. Trusting ourselves creates a strong base for exploring new ideas. On the farm, I’ve never been told, “This won’t work.” I never had self-limiting beliefs like that. Here, anything is possible. This has always been incredibly important when we implement changes because they must work not only for our animals but also for the environment. Ecological stability on the farm is a very important environmental factor that has the ability to support health and immunity; our process of starting with nature and thinking without boundaries is what led to our decision to innovate, like the use of probiotics on the farm instead of chemical alternatives.
Sometimes finding the right solution can take years, but we continue to trust each other’s instincts on what’s right and worth pursuing on behalf of food and the health of all things, just like Grandpa Jack.
— The Diestel Family
