The Loop Farmstead is a working agroecological farm on 4.6 acres in New Martinsville, West Virginia. We grow food, raise animals, and document what we learn for others walking the same path.
Work with the land, not against it. Ask what the land wants to grow. Plant for people you will never meet.
Farm Log
We harvested about 250 dandelion flowers and are trying our hand at making dandelion honey for the first time. The ground is wet, so I can't cut in any terraces.
There is one tree that will come down soon. It had been hit by lightning well before we moved here. Looking at it I don't think it will cause any issues for the house though. It is pretty far up the hill, and anxiety aside it seems to be leaning towards the other side of the property. But I'm not a tree expert so we will have to see what fate decides.
It is way too dangerous to cut down, nor can we afford to pay someone to do it. Even if we could afford it, I wouldn't want trucks driving around the land and damaging it. But I have pretty high confidence it won't hit the house.
Established Systems
Fruit Trees (40+)
Our orchard includes apples, pears, peaches, plums, and cherries. Planted for long-term production, these trees will outlive us. We chose heritage and disease-resistant varieties suited to Appalachian conditions.
Grape Vines (15)
Fifteen years from full harvest. We planted anyway. This is what it means to plant for people you will never meet. The vines teach patience. They teach trust in the future.
Annual Gardens
Succession-planted vegetables provide continuous harvest from May through October. We focus on storage crops (winter squash, potatoes, onions) and nutrient-dense greens (chard, kale, spinach).
Animals
Animals serve multiple functions in our system: pest control, fertility, meat, companionship, and land management.
🐷 Pigs
Two Berkshire pigs (George & Peppa). Harvested 2026-03-25, 250 lbs pork. Pigs clear land, till soil, and convert waste into protein.
🐕 Livestock Guardians
Two Great Pyrenees (Odin & Lada, 8 months). Protect future poultry and provide companionship. Working breed, not pets.
🐔 Poultry (Developing)
Chicken systems in development. Will serve multiple functions: pest control, fertility, eggs, meat, soil turning.
Infrastructure
Our infrastructure supports autonomous operation: water capture, energy generation, food preservation, and tool storage.
Philosophy
Everything we do is guided by agroecological principles and permaculture ethics. We work with natural systems, not against them. We build resilience, not just yield.
- Observe and interact — Learn what the land wants before imposing plans
- Catch and store energy — Rain barrels, compost, seed saving, preserved food
- Obtain a yield — Every system should produce something useful
- Apply self-regulation — Limit consumption, accept feedback
- Use and value diversity — Multiple varieties, multiple functions, multiple backups
- Use edges and value the marginal — Edge zones are most productive
- Respond creatively to change — Adapt, improvise, learn from failure