Climate-friendly farm

BOWLING GREEN Ky. – River Cottage Farms in Adolphus, Kentucky is an early adopter of regenerative farming techniques that help to mitigate the effects of climate change on their livestock.

Started by Debbie Brann over 30 years ago, she wanted to be able to provide clean grass fed and sustainably raised livestock direct to consumers. At first, her orders were mainly from people with various illnesses that found that normal meat from the grocery store further exacerbated their negative symptoms. Now a regular at multiple farmers markets across Kentucky and Tennessee, she helps raise sustainable clean meat to customers who place orders.

By giving her livestock access to shade, rotating them through fields daily and always giving them access to clean cool water, her cows, pigs, goats and sheep are healthy and better equipped to handle summers that continue to grow hotter and hotter.

“We’re seeing things getting hotter. We’re seeing grass not be able to be sustained as well with the moisture that we do have. So I think more and more farmers are seeing that they’ve got to make a change.” Brann said.