Skier moves from the slopes to sustainable farmingSkier moves from the slopes to sustainable farming

If you thought being a world-champion freeskier was cool, it ain’t got nothing on farming.

No one knows this better than Alison Gannett, former freeskier, founder of nonprofit Save Our Snow, and owner of Paonia, Colorado’s 75-acre Holy Terror Farm.

Gannett has transformed Holy Terror Farm, established in 1889, into a fully sustainable operation. “In short, we are aiming for closing the loop completely, as well as striving toward having the orchards, gardens and animal systems working together,” Gannett explains in an interview with Organic Connections. For example, the chickens she raises help keep pests off of the orchard trees, the weeds in the garden are fed to the pigs, and the pigs fertilize the soil.

“We do lots of educational projects at the farm—from farm camps to farm tours and more,” continues Gannett. “We hope to inspire and spread knowledge of what is possible, but also to learn from others.”

In addition to living sustainably on Holy Terror Farm, Gannett is a strong advocate for the use of soil to absorb carbon emissions. “Next to the oceans, soil has the most potential for absorbing carbon,” says Gannett. She hopes that future sustainable farmers will be paid to farm responsibly.

Read more in Organic Connections.