Good Life Ranch is a family farm owned by Geoff and Lindsey McPherson that is located in central Kentucky. Nestled in the hills and valleys and surrounded by Amish farms, Geoff and Lindsey strive to produce food the most natural and humane way possible. They currently raise heritage breeds of beef cattle, goats, broiler chickens, ducks, laying hens, geese, pigs, and turkeys in an effort to preserve those breeds. The animals have access to fresh pasture every day and the farmers do not use steroids, hormones, dewormers, or chemical fertilizers. They only use antibiotics as a last resort to save a very sick animal.
In 2013, FACT awarded Good Life Ranch a Fund-a-Farmer grant to improve water delivery to their animals on pasture. With the grant, the farmers purchased materials to pump water directly from a creek to a water storage tower, and then gravity feed it through water lines to the livestock.
Before receiving the grant, providing clean water to the animals was a major challenge. The animals are rotated on pasture, which means that they move frequently between paddocks and are often far from a water source. Geoff reported that he had to carry water to the animals manually in 5-gallon buckets twice every day. It was tremendously straining and took time away from the other chores he needed to do to care for the animals.
As a result of the grant, the pump keeps the troughs full so that the pigs, cows, poultry, and goats never run out of water. The animals benefit, and the farmers have time to do other jobs on the farm such as fencing in new pastureland and planting forage crops. The pump system has also reduced the farms’ water bills by over $200 per month due to its efficiency! FACT is proud to support a smart project like this that improves the welfare of farm animals and enables farmers to invest in their future.
Be sure to check out the full farm story and more photos of Good Life Ranch on our website!
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