April 2, 2013 | Abbie Stutzer

Jeff and Laura Hamons manage Synergistic Acres, a sustainable livestock farm in Parker, Kan. Neither Jeff nor Laura grew up on a farm, but the couple decided to go into farming because they believe everyone in the Kansas City-area should have access to healthy, humanely-raised meat.

Synergistic Acres has been operating for a year and the family’s farming lifestyle has synched with their personal belief system. “We had not even considered living on a farm two years ago,” Jeff Hamons said. “We have tried to get a fast start without growing too fast too soon. We had a great first year and connected with a lot of families searching for the same food we raise.”

Last year, the farm raised around 500 broilers, 75 turkeys, breeding sows, a boar, four grower pigs, 18 cattle, and a flock of 70 layers. The Hamons keep livestock in a natural setting. The farm’s animals live their lives outside on pasture. “We raise heritage breeds that excel in these {local} conditions. To us, the cornerstone of sustainable is that we always look at farming decisions by how they will affect the land and our animals. If it helps both, then it is the right decision. We look at raising healthy, hearty animals that do not require artificial props in order to thrive and be healthy,” Jeff said.

Synergistic Acres allows its pigs to go in the wood and root up ground to search for nuts and grubs. The farm’s chickens are free-range and able to forage for food, and its cows are allowed to eat fresh grass. “This respectful treatment continues as we ensure a healthy environment for each animal and concludes with the decisions we made in regards to choosing a butcher shop,” Jeff said.

The Hamons work to find sustainable feed sources for their chickens, turkeys and pigs, and strive to improve the family farm’s land. “We purchase our feed from a local, organic family-run mill,” Jeff said. “We work to improve the land using intensive management grazing in addition to the synergy of the variety of species working together to increase land fertility. We also want our farm to be financially sustainable and regularly evaluate our costs and prices.”

Raising animals outside is always harder, Jeff explained. “Decisions have to be made with flexibility in mind because you never know how the weather will change it.”

Everything at Synergistic Acres relies on the grass growing, so when the grass is stressed, or not doing well, nothing on the farm is doing well. “Our most important crop is grass,” Jeff said. “Everything else comes second. Providing shelter and fresh pasture is critical in all weather and often requires increased labor hours in less than ideal conditions.”

The Hamons also own two livestock guardian dogs (LGD) who are part of the farm’s daily operations. “Our guardian dogs, Mara and Charlie, are essential to our ability to raise animals on pasture — especially poultry,” Jeff said. “They take a lot of training and patience and it takes about year or more before they can be fully independent and trusted to do their jobs.”

The Hamons promote their farm with social media and a website. “There are customers who are already looking for our food — we just have to make sure they can find it,” Jeff said.

Synergistic Acres sells its meats to consumers at on-farm sales, and through routine deliveries to stores in the Kansas City-area. The Hamons hope to grow steadily with a core group of customers. “We believe that if we can find 100 families that look to our farm as their primary protein provider, then our farm will have the economic resources to be sustainable,” Jeff said. “Our model is centered on openness and transparency. We want all of our customers to come out and see the farm and know exactly how the animals they eat are raised.”

For Kansas City readers:

Synergistic Acres’ livestock is tended year-round. The farm has an influx of poultry in the spring and summer. Jeff said he expects that the farm’s pork will be available in the summer and winter; beef will be available in the fall. The farm plans its product offerings based on the needs and growth of its animals.