About Brian Shultz
Brian has recently retired as Manager of Sustainable Construction and Renewable Energy at Grand Rapids Community College.

His love has always been farming so now is his time to develop Fair Lakes Farm, a natural and sustainably-raised beef operation.

Brian will tell us all about the red barn he designed and built (below). It is like few others when it comes to energy conservation and generation.

Posted to the right is the energy diagram for the wood gasification plant that will power the farm while heating all of the main structures for 6 months out of the year. It will heat a food-producing aquaponics greenhouse too.

About Josh Shultz
Brian’s son, Josh was the permaculture designer that helped transform the bare-rock landscape on the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas into a tropical garden. You will probably enjoy seeing these pictures that I posted following my visit to see Josh’s work last year.

Pictured Left: Josh extending the growing season with his homemade greenhouse attached to the south side of the garage.

We’ll learn about how he designed it and of the aquaponics system it encloses.  Growing fish and greens at the same time… in Michigan!

Josh is using a double-bottomed moldboard plow set at an exaggerated angle to rapidly create a swale and berm system, cut on contour.

We will walk this system and see how it is progressing now that he has put in some plants as well.

Here is what the larger area looks like after being swaled on contour.

Josh converted this subsoil plow into a keyline plow that will leave little disturbance to the sod while significantly increasing water retention and aeration.

Learning about P.A. Yeomans keyling system is part of the PDC Course Curriculum so I will be covering that with everyone.

It dramatically improves the quality of the overall farm landscape by holding water and fertility high on the landscape.

Here are some of Brian’s cattle on his neighboring farm.

We will learn about fencing, rotational grazing, stocking densities and how to keep these fellows happy and healthy.

See Brian’s simple brochure and order form for his new beef business.

He sold out of all beef he raised and had processed in just a few weeks and all in his first year!

There continues to be a growing demand for humanly and naturally raised meats.

A key principle in permaculture is looking for ways to turn waste into resources.

The emerald ash borer is creating a lot of damage in the woodlots of this farming region.

With this portable sawmill, Josh and Brian are able to cut down the dying ash trees while they are still solid and turn them into useable lumber.

Ash is an amazing hard wood with characteristics very similar to oak.

Turning these ash trees into lumber rather than firewood creates many useful possibilities.

Josh and Brian are surrounded by neighbors who have old fruit trees and who have no plans to use the fruit.

With this homemade cider press, Josh is turning a waste into a resource.