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By Caroline Zandler

Picture a cow, sunk to its knees in muck; not just dirt, but layers of its own waste, day after day. It doesn’t roam or graze; it stands still, penned in tight, sprayed with harsh chemicals as flies and swarm the stagnant air. The filth seeps into its skin, its lungs, its bloodstream. This is its life from birth to slaughter; motionless, medicated, and in misery. And when it’s over, that life ends up neatly packaged and served on your plate.

This is the reality of modern farming: an often invisible cycle of unsanitary conditions, environmental damage, and uncomfortable truths many would rather ignore. Today, three dominant forms of agriculture shape the way food gets to our plates: factory farming, conventional farming, and the increasingly vital regenerative farming.

Factory farming, also known as industrial agriculture, is a high-intensity, large-scale system designed for maximum output. It often does so at the cost of animal welfare, environmental health, and long-term sustainability. Conventional farming, while slightly less extreme, still relies heavily on synthetic fertilizers, chemical pesticides, and mechanized processes, often with little regard for the land or the lives of the animals it uses.

Polyface Farm’s entrance. Photo credit: Polyface Farm via instagram @polyfacefarm.

Despite public perception, neither system truly honors the well-being of animals or the planet as much as we’d like to believe. The one system that does is regenerative farming: a sustainable agricultural approach that focuses on restoring soil health, enhancing biodiversity, and capturing carbon to heal ecosystems while producing food.

The Richmond area is fortunate to have a working example of this philosophy less than two hours away. Nestled in the rolling hills of Swoope, Virginia, Polyface Farm is an operation built not on shortcuts or subsidies, but on integrity, ecological balance, and innovation. Raising, processing, and selling everything from cows to pigs to multiple types of chickens, Polyface has become a beacon of what is possible through agricultural farming.

In early April, the Future of Food Senior Capstone class took a winding drive through the mountains to visit Polyface Farm, an experience that revealed a rare level of transparency in modern agriculture. From the moment you arrive, it’s clear: this farm has nothing to hide. Visitors are welcome daily, whether they prefer a guided hayride or a quiet, self-led walk through the fields. This simple openness reflects the deep pride Polyface takes in its methods and the legacy it continues to build.

The Future of Food Capstone class is a semester-long exploration of sustainable solutions to global food challenges. Throughout the course, students investigate a central question: How can we ensure that all people have access to safe, healthy, and affordable food in ways that are both environmentally and economically sustainable? Director of JK-12 Capstones Rhiannon Boyd, who teaches the class, guides students in exploring this question through documentaries, hands-on projects, and thoughtful class discussions.

The Polyface story begins in 1961, when William and Lucille Salatin moved their young family to Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, purchasing what was then considered the most depleted and abused farm in the area. They began the long, patient work of regeneration: planting trees, building compost, digging ponds, and rotating cattle daily using portable electric fencing. They also pioneered mobile shelters to raise animals on perennial prairie polycultures, restoring fertility and balance to the land.

A cow at Polyface Farm. Photo credit: Polyface Farm via instagram @polyfacefarm.

More than six decades later, the Salatin family has never strayed from their values. The Salatins’ descendants now are operators and managers at the farm, and they have continued to resist shortcuts and profit-driven compromises, choosing instead to grow with integrity. What began as a struggling family farm has evolved into a thriving model of sustainable agriculture, one they are proud to share with the world.

After an hour and forty-five-minute drive, the Future of Food students were eager to finally see in person what they had been studying for weeks. The concept of regenerative farming had sparked genuine curiosity, offering practical, hopeful solutions to the environmental and health crises linked to food production.

Nora Wallace (‘25) reflected on the experience: “It was really nice to get away from the classroom for a day,” she said. “The way they took care of the animals and the land was really intriguing.” She was especially impressed by the cows and how they were rotated to fresh pasture every day. “I think the way they handled the cows was really well done,” she added. “It just made sense.”

This daily rotation of cows is a cornerstone of Polyface’s regenerative system. By moving the animals to a new plot each day, adjusted to the size of the herd, the farm ensures the cows always have fresh grass to graze. It also disrupts the life cycle of parasites that thrive in manure, reducing the need for chemical treatments. Just as important, the grass itself benefits: cows graze only at the plant’s healthiest stage, its “teenage length,” which allows it to recover and regrow quickly after grazing.

Eggmobile. Photo credit: Caroline Zandler.

For Maddie Jewett (‘25), the experience stood out for both its educational value and its creativity. “It was something like I’d never seen before,” she said. “I liked seeing how creative they were with the way they ran their farm.” She especially enjoyed seeing the chickens in the “Eggmobiles,” mobile coops that follow the cows and help clean the pasture. “It was so cool to see how they were flourishing.”

Indeed, the “Eggmobile” is one of Polyface Farms most iconic innovations: a clever, mobile chicken coop built on house trailer axles. The Eggmobile allows hens to live completely free-range, foraging on fresh ground and laying eggs in safety. But their role goes far beyond egg-laying. These chickens trail behind the cows, pecking through cow manure to eat fly larvae, effectively sanitizing the fields and controlling pests without chemicals.

Invented by author and Polyface co-owner Joel Salatin, the Eggmobile reflects Polyface’s commitment to closed-loop farming, where every animal and every element of the farm serves a purpose in harmony with nature. It’s a system built on observation, respect, and care, radically different from the confined, lifeless conditions of industrial agriculture.

At Polyface, animals aren’t just units of production; they’re part of a larger ecosystem. And as Jewett noted with a laugh, the farm had more than just educational value: “I liked the gift shop, I loved the bathrooms, they were super modern, and lunch was great. But honestly,” she said, smiling, her favorite part was knowing “I’d actually learned something real.”