SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
 

PEPPERMINT FIELDS
Premium All-Natural Angus Beef
Peter & Emily Fletcher
Fryeburg, Maine

 Peppermint Fields Farm
 

Weston's Farm is the exclusive retailer for Peppermint Fields premium Angus beef.
 
          Peppermint Fields Farm is a family-owned, local Maine beef farm. The Fletcher family's goal is to provide an alternative source of beef products to the consumer who demands the highest quality product available.

 Angus calves are bred and raised on the farm.  This provides excellent genetic quality and insures consistent growth and good health. The Fletcher's cattle are raised on an all Maine grown, hand-mixed ration of corn, soy and oats. All products are signified by:

  • No feed antibiotics, Only the best whole grains

  • No steroids, Only good feed and clean air.

  • No growth hormones. They grow naturally.

  • No artificial ingredients.

  • Lots of room to roam and graze, Pasture grown & natural "grain-finished."

  • Daily exercise with covered and open areas.

  • Treated with care and respect.

peppermintfields.com
 

 

Sustainable Agriculture
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       Weston's Farm practices sustainable agriculture through low impact, and organic, farming practices.  Chemical inputs (ie. commercial pesticides and fertilizers) are minimized or preferably not used at all through many sustainable practices:
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Mowing a June cover crop of winter rye and hairy vetch
 


Alternative Fuels:  B20 BioDiesel is used in all tractors.  The amount of petroleum based plastics (typically in the form of plastic ground mulch) is minimized which cuts down on the farms carbon foot print as well minimizes the amount of post season waste.

Crop Rotation: Aggressive crop rotations are planned out each year. The goal is not to have the same crop grown on the same piece of land for more than two consecutive years.  This cuts down on weed pressure and disrupts disease and insect cycles, minimizing the need for pesticide applications.  Complete fallow cycles are also included in the rotation schedule.

Cover Cropping: Oats, Winter Rye, and Hairy Vetch are annually planted on over 20 acres of cropland.  These cover crops help add organic matter to the soil, as well as nitrogen and other nutrients reducing the dependence on commercial fertilizers.  Cover crops also improve the structure of the soil, which will increase its ability to hold water thus reducing the need for irrigation.

Compost: The farm produces it's own compost throughout the year, which is spread back to the land boosting the structure and organic matter of the soil.

Drip Irrigation: Water sensitive crops are fed through drip irrigation lines, which deliver water solely to the cash crop.  This eliminates the need to use costly overhead irrigation which also applies water to unneeded areas as well.  This cuts down on running pumps and the amount of water used.

Biological Controls:  In greenhouses that can be closed, biological controls ("friendly bugs") are used to control insect infestations (as opposed to using commercial insecticides).  A variety of friendly bugs are used to control problem insects, (for example releasing Lady Bugs to eat an infestation of aphids).

Minimized Tillage: Heavy tillage can decrease the soil structure as well as compact the soil.  Seed beds are not clean tilled to cut down on passes over the ground.    

IPM: Integrated Pest Management: A Cooperative Extension program that develops "thresholds" or tolerance levels for pests.  Extension monitors the levels on insects in crops around the state and issues recommendations to farmers on when they need to use chemical controls.  The idea of IPM is to spray only when you have to.
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    In 2008 we began offering a selection of certified organic produce.


 

       We have many crops that are grown, labeled, and marketed as "Pesticide Free."  Crops labeled as such do not have any commercial or non-organic pesticides applied to them.  This includes herbicides (for weeds), fungicides (for disease) and insecticides (for insects) as well as no fumigation.