Know Your Farmers 

Erika Eschholz an experienced farmer, gardener, and educator has followed organic and biodynamic practices to cultivate healthy food and healthy people in Teton Valley, since 1998.  In 2006, Erika founded Full Circle Education, a local non-profit which teaches learners of all ages life skills in gardens, farms, and wild places. Holding a B.S. in Agroecology from the University of Wyoming, Ken Michael joined Erika at Snowdrift Farm in 2012. Together at Teton Full Circle Farm, Ken and Erika bring wisdom, experience and passion to the local organic food movement.

Guiding Principles

Food and Flowers – At Teton Full Circle Farm, our goal is to offer the highest quality organic vegetables, flowers, and plant starts in Jackson Hole and Teton Valley through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, local Farmers Markets, and wholesale customers.

Land – We believe that we have a duty to act in partnership with the plants, animals, and soil of the land we farm. As members of our ecological community, we choose to follow biodynamic and organic farming practices with a focus on building soil life and fertility each year.

Animals – Domesticated animals ought to live happy, healthy lives and be treated as members of the farm community. At Teton Full Circle Farm, our Brown Swiss cow lives a life of luxury on divers green pastures and organic/biodynamic hay. If and when it comes time for harvest, our animals are treated humanely and respectfully.

Alternative Energy – We aim to balance the needs of our farm with a commitment to reducing our impact on the biosphere. Teton Full Circle Farm buildings seek to incorporate solar, wind, and wood energy with battery energy storage and low-energy architecture in coming years.

Community Education – We’re committed to changing our community’s relationship with its food. Through volunteer opportunities, farm tours, and educational programs, we connect members of our community who share valuable skills for growing, preserving, and cooking nutritious food. For children, we provide hands-in-the-dirt lessons about where their food comes from and how they are part of the larger web of life.

Livelihood – For the farmers who call it home, Teton Full Circle Farm provides food, shelter, and meaningful work in service of the local community.

At Teton Full Circle Farm, we believe it’s time to rethink food, from the ground up.

Organic Certification
Teton Full Circle Farm vegetables, and farm fields are Certified Organic through CCOF. What does this mean? 
  • We do not use any pesticides, herbicides, synthetic fertilizers, or genetically modified organisms in our fields, nor antibiotics on our animals.
  • We use organic seeds when growing our starts and planting our crops whenever possible.
  • We feed our laying hens only certified organic feed. 
  • Our farm fields underwent three years of organic management before receiving organic certification. 
  • We build relationships with neighboring farmers and ask them not to spray their fields on windy days to limit pesticide drift onto our fields. 
  • We use cover cropping and composting as our main methods of building fertile soils. 
  • We save some of our own seeds to use again on the farm.

Biodynamic Agriculture
Biodynamic agriculture was first developed by Dr. Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian philosopher, educator and scientist in the early 1920s. Many farmers and gardeners around the world have since adopted practices based on Steiner’s insights. Erika and Ken have been practicing Biodynamic methods since 2009. Biodynamic farming includes organic farming practices but goes a step farther, taking a holistic approach to all aspects of farm work. We take these extra steps to ensure the highest quality products and farm environment for our community:
  • We look at our farm as an individual, unique organism. We are always aware how one part of the organism affects another.
  • We consider cosmic rhythms and influences in our everyday work. We utilize the Maria and Matthias Thun Biodynamic Sowing and Planting Calendar that is in its 50th year of publication.
  • We routinely use biodynamic preparations (mineral, plant and animal materials composted and made into dilute teas) in our compost, and on our fields. These preparations stimulate microorganism activity, the uptake of nutrients and minerals by plants, and a healthy “immune system” of the plant, which discourages pests. These preparations enliven the soil, the food we grow, and the people who eat it.
  • We make many of our own biodynamic preparations on the farm, stimulating nutrients and soil life already present in the system.
  • Most of our fertility comes from our own farm animals and other local and biodynamic farms.
  • We take the time to make thorough observations of our plants, animals and surrounding farm environment. This aids us in making subtle adjustments in our daily work and decisions. 
Learn more about Biodynamic® Agriculture at  biodynamics.com