Case Study

Farmers

Lejen Chen and Shan En

Name of farm

Green Cow Organic Farm

Size of farm

90 mu (6 hectares)

Number of workers

10

Location

Houshayu, Beijing City

Member of the Model Farm Project China

Since November 2007

Customers

Restaurant: Mrs. Shanen's

Members' clubs: CSA for vegetable delivery (15 families of expats and locals)

Enterprises

Restaurant

Mrs. Shanen's (60-seat 'New York style' diner with clientele of expats and locals)

Livestock

Dairy cows: Four (breed: two Holstein cross cows and two Holstein cross bull calves)

Laying hens: 14 hens and 11 roosters (breed: LuHua); 80 pullets (breed: local)

Broilers: 80 chicks (breed: local)

Geese: Eight, used to protect the chickens

Honey bees: Six hives

Red worms: Used as a feed source for the chickens

Arable

50 % of arable land is devoted to peanuts, corn, potatoes, wheat and soybeans; 20 % to trees (apple, date, willow, scholar, gingko, pine, Chinese pine).

Produce

20 % of arable land is used for vegetables, strawberries, and experimenting with mushrooms, apples, dates and blueberries.

Why is it a Model Farm?

The farm has incorporated organic principles and community participation into the farming methods used. Farm buildings are made from recycled materials, and a small anaerobic digester provides biogas to power the workers' accommodation. Club members have their own plots and are able to plant and weed them throughout the year. Farm open days and festivals are held two or three times a year to demonstrate the Green Cow farming methods. The animals are traditional breeds or traditional breed crosses and are reared free-range with careful consideration of their welfare. Lejen Chen and Shan En attended a welfare conference organised by CIWF and WSPA in March 2008 and have implemented some of the principles and techniques presented at the conference.

Interview with Lejen Chen and Shan En

Why did you become a farmer?

The farm has incorporated organic principles and community participation into the farming methods used. Farm buildings are made from recycled materials, and a small anaerobic digester provides biogas to power the workers' accommodation. Club members have their own plots and are able to plant and weed them throughout the year. Children from nearby schools come to the farm to help with the weeding and to harvest peanuts. A Harvest Festival is held once a year and there are open days every few months to demonstrate the Green Cow farming methods. The animals are traditional breeds or traditional breed crosses and are reared free-range with careful consideration of their welfare.

Lejen Chen and Shan En attended a welfare conference organised by CIWF and WSPA in March 2008 and have implemented some of the principles and techniques presented at the conference.

What do you hope to achieve with your farm?

We hope to create and sustain an authentic organic farm. We are feeding our animals with our own grains and then composting their output to fertilize the soil. We hope to achieve this goal and eventually be able to encourage more farmers to do the same.

Why were you interested in becoming a member of the Model Farm Project?

We hoped that the MFP would be able to provide us with information on organic farming and also help to promote more organic farming in China.

How has the Model Farm Project helped your farm?

The MFP has provided us with information on organic principles and standards. In addition, it has provided us with a network of people working towards similar goals.