Yeshurun Farms is not being developed around the idea that every crop can or should be grown in northern Arizona. Our agricultural plan begins with a simpler principle: grow what is suited to the land, protect what needs protection, conserve water, improve the soil, and build diversity into the food system.
At approximately 6,200 feet in elevation, with cold winters, cool nights, strong winds, limited rainfall, and a relatively short outdoor growing season, successful agriculture requires careful crop selection and the use of greenhouses, high tunnels, irrigation, wind protection, and season-extension methods.
Our goal is not merely commercial production. It is to develop the capacity to produce a meaningful portion of the food needed by the community itself.
Open-Field Crops
The outdoor growing season can support many cool-season and short-season crops when planted at the proper time.
Potential field and garden crops include:
- Potatoes
- Sweet potatoes in protected warmer locations
- Carrots
- Beets
- Turnips
- Radishes
- Onions
- Garlic
- Cabbage
- Kale
- Collard greens
- Mustard greens
- Swiss chard
- Lettuce
- Spinach
- Peas
- Bush beans
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Summer squash
- Zucchini
- Cucumbers
- Short-season corn varieties
- Selected melons and warm-season crops in protected areas
Root crops and cool-season vegetables are especially important because many tolerate cooler temperatures and can also be stored for extended periods after harvest.
The community agricultural system can therefore be designed around both fresh consumption and long-term food storage.
Grains & Staple Foods
A self-sufficient agricultural community cannot depend entirely upon salad crops and vegetables. Staple foods provide calories and can often be stored for months or years under proper conditions.
Potential crops for experimentation include:
- Wheat
- Barley
- Oats
- Rye
- Grain corn
- Dry beans
- Field peas
- Amaranth
- Quinoa
- Sunflowers
Not every crop will perform equally well on every portion of the property. Test plots can be used to determine which varieties perform best under the property’s particular soil, wind, temperature, and water conditions.
Over time, seed can be saved from successful crops so that varieties increasingly adapted to the local environment become part of the farm’s own seed supply.
Greenhouse & High-Tunnel Production
Protected agriculture will be one of the most important tools available to Yeshurun Farms.
Greenhouses and high tunnels allow us to protect crops from frost, wind, wildlife, and extreme temperature swings while extending the growing season beyond what would normally be possible outdoors.
Protected production can include:
- Tomatoes
- Peppers
- Cucumbers
- Beans
- Lettuce
- Spinach
- Kale
- Herbs
- Strawberries
- Seedlings
- Nursery plants
- Specialty vegetables
With sufficient insulation, thermal storage, supplemental heat, and renewable energy, some growing structures may eventually operate throughout much or all of the year.
This creates an important distinction between the natural growing season and the productive growing season we can create through appropriate technology.
Microgreens
Microgreens are particularly well suited to the Yeshurun Farms agricultural model because they can be produced in controlled environments using relatively little land and water while providing highly concentrated fresh food.
Production can include:
- Broccoli
- Radish
- Sunflower
- Pea shoots
- Kale
- Mustard
- Cabbage
- Arugula
- Cilantro
- Basil
- Other specialty varieties
Microgreens also provide an important connection between the remote farm and the existing Yeshurun Farms commercial operation.
While conventional field agriculture is seasonal, controlled-environment microgreen production can operate throughout the year, providing both food for the community and a potential source of agricultural income.
Fruit Trees & Perennials
Fruit production at this elevation requires careful selection of cold-hardy varieties and consideration of late spring freezes.
Potential orchard crops include selected varieties of:
- Apples
- Pears
- Plums
- Cherries
- Apricots
- Peaches
- Mulberries
Perennial berries may include:
- Blackberries
- Raspberries
- Currants
- Gooseberries
- Strawberries
Orchards require patience. Trees must survive several years before reaching meaningful production, and young trees require protection from wildlife, wind, drought, and temperature extremes.
For that reason, orchard development should begin early.
A tree planted today may feed people for decades.
Herbs & Medicinal Plants
Herbs are particularly valuable because many require relatively little growing space and can be used fresh, dried, stored, or processed.
Potential crops include:
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Sage
- Oregano
- Mint
- Basil
- Parsley
- Cilantro
- Dill
- Chamomile
- Lavender
- Echinacea
- Yarrow
- Calendula
Some herbs will require winter protection, while others can become established as hardy perennials.
Herbs also create opportunities for value-added products such as dried seasonings, teas, salves, oils, and other farm-produced goods.
Livestock & Forage
Agriculture at Yeshurun Farms is intended to include animals as well as crops.
Potential livestock may include:
- Chickens
- Turkeys
- Ducks
- Rabbits
- Goats
- Sheep
- Cattle
Livestock can provide meat, eggs, dairy where appropriate, manure for compost, vegetation management, and additional agricultural products.
Animals also contribute to a regenerative farming system. Properly managed manure becomes fertility. Crop residues become animal feed or compost. Animals can help control vegetation, while rotational grazing can allow pasture areas time to recover.
The goal is to create cycles rather than waste streams.
Fodder & Animal Feed
One of the greatest challenges to keeping livestock in a remote community is dependence upon purchased feed.
For that reason, Yeshurun Farms will explore production of crops that can supplement livestock feed, including:
- Barley
- Oats
- Alfalfa
- Field peas
- Sunflowers
- Forage grasses
- Fodder crops
- Sprouted grain systems
Hydroponic fodder systems may also provide fresh supplemental feed using relatively small amounts of space and water.
The more animal feed that can responsibly be produced on the property, the less vulnerable the community becomes to outside price increases and supply interruptions.
Native & Drought-Tolerant Plants
Not every productive plant needs to resemble conventional agriculture.
Native and drought-tolerant plants can provide food, animal forage, pollinator habitat, wind protection, erosion control, shade, and soil improvement while requiring substantially less water than many conventional crops.
Part of developing the land therefore involves learning what already thrives there and building around those natural advantages rather than removing them unnecessarily.
Seed Saving & Food Preservation
Growing food is only one part of food security.
The community must also learn how to preserve the harvest and preserve the seed.
Food preservation can include:
- Canning
- Dehydrating
- Freezing
- Fermentation
- Root-cellar storage
- Dry grain storage
- Dry bean storage
- Vacuum sealing
Seed-saving programs can gradually establish a community seed bank containing varieties proven to perform under northern Arizona conditions.
This turns each successful harvest into preparation for the next.
A Diverse Food System
No single crop, animal, greenhouse, or agricultural technique will make Yeshurun Farms self-sufficient.
The strength of the system comes from diversity.
If one crop fails, another may succeed. If outdoor production is interrupted by weather, protected agriculture can continue. If outside food prices rise, stored staples become more valuable. If supply chains are interrupted, saved seed allows another planting.
The long-term vision combines field crops, gardens, orchards, greenhouses, microgreens, livestock, fodder production, food preservation, seed saving, renewable energy, and water conservation into one integrated agricultural system.
We are not attempting to separate ourselves completely from the outside world.
We are attempting to ensure that our ability to eat, drink, shelter our families, produce energy, and care for one another is not entirely dependent upon it.
That is the agricultural vision of Yeshurun Farms.