Under the Big Sky

This past summer we set off on a cross country road trip. First stop: our chickpea farm in Montana. 

We packed up and hit the road in Wilma. Two thousand miles later we landed in vast golden fields as far as the eye could see. After following the dirt road to the middle of nowhere, we finally pulled up to a field with a soaring John Deer tractor traversing the rows. Out jumps Casey who gleefully welcomed us to his farm.   

https://youtu.be/UaBlvqES-gE

Casey supplies all of our chickpeas at Little Sesame from his 5000 acre family farm in Fort Benton, MT. Casey grew up on this farm which was managed by his father. Over the past decade, he’s turned his family’s land all back to organic and pioneered new ways to grow grains using regenerative agriculture. At the core of this philosophy is integrating farming into the landscape in a way that improves the soil, land and water.

Rather than over-tilling the land and dumping toxic chemicals to make the soil suitable for another season of growth, he invests in the soil year-after-year with rotations of grasses and legumes. These rotations work together to create a vibrant ecosystem.  

We spent the next few days riding tractors across his 5000 acre farm learning how he choreographs this living experiment. We’re so lucky to get to work with Casey. He’s part of a wave of renegade farmers who are revolutionizing how we farm in America.

You can follow Casey and his farming adventures at @caseybail.