Why we became Regenerative Farmers

Hello, friend! I want to welcome you to Hope Rock Farm, our little corner of the regenerative agriculture world, and also share our first post (there will be many more to come!).

Why we became regenerative farmers

Like many families, we (Frank and Elizabeth) never questioned where our food came from. As so often happens, it was trials that led us to start asking questions.

While still only in our 30s, we both experienced some health challenges. We began looking at food as medicine and questioning our food system.  

How did what we eat affect our health? 

How did modern agriculture affect farm families, the land, and our waterways?

As those questions grew, so did our desire to find a better way.

I (Elizabeth) grew up on a small dairy farm and always wanted agriculture to be part of my life, but I wasn't drawn to the industrial agriculture that seemed to dominate the landscape. In 2024, I picked up Dirt to Soil by Gabe Brown, and it completely changed my perspective.

I discovered an entirely different way of farming, one that works with nature instead of against it.

A way of farming that doesn't just sustain the land but improves it over time. 

A way that supports farmers, produces nutrient-dense food for families, and protects the water and natural resources we all depend on. 

Reading that book ultimately became the foundation for what we are building today at Hope Rock Farm.

We wondered how we could be part of the solution, not only for our family but for others who were seeking the same thing -food they could trust.

In 2025 we purchased the land that would become Hope Rock Farm.  The land was mostly unused with broken fences, no water source, and no electricity. Frank and our children spent the summer of 2026 building fences, trenching water lines, setting up power sources, and acquiring our first animals (turkeys, pigs, sheep, and some guard donkeys). 

It was a huge leap of faith for us.  I had been away from agriculture for 20 years and regenerative farming is completely different than how I grew up.

Frank was an engineer for the same 20 years.  He grew up in Des Moines and I don't think he ever dreamed he would one day say he was a farmer.

It has been an immense family effort to get to where we are this fall.  Our first round of pasture-raised turkeys are ready to reserve for the upcoming holiday season.  We will also be filling our customers' freezers with whole and half bulk portions of our pasture and timber-raised pork.  

This winter we hope to begin building our beef herd and continue creating fences.

In 2027 we hope we can begin offering bulk grass-fed and grass-finished beef and lamb.

At Hope Rock Farm near Norwalk, Iowa, just south of Des Moines, we're proud to raise pasture-raised pork, pasture-raised turkey, and grass-fed lamb using regenerative farming practices that work with nature instead of against it.

But what exactly is regenerative farming, and why does it matter?

I can't wait to explore that in my next post!