Jessica Bass and Adam McGrath are the owners & operators of Lazy Mule Farm, a draft-powered vegetable farm on Alder Slope in Wallowa County.

Working with draft horses has its place in current society and it is not just a novelty. We believe it can work well when done at the right scale. We do it because we enjoy building relationships with our stock, but also because we like being up close and involved in what is happening on the farm. We don’t necessarily want or need to be farming a huge amount of land.

The way we are farming with horses is not no-till, and it’s not low impact. The horses and the equipment are not as heavy, and we don't rely on fossil fuels as much. However, any time soil is turned up, broken, and mixed around with heavy equipment, damage is being done to the biology living in it. We are mindful of this and plan to minimize plowing, plant lots of cover crops which helps soil biology recover, and work by hand for most tasks in the vegetable garden.

We hope to set an example by demonstrating that farming with draft animals is not just an old way of farming - that it really can work in a modern-day farm business model. We would encourage more local vegetable and other food producers and to plant the draft power seed in someone’s mind. To mentor others will keep the tradition alive.

We are motivated by the journey of mastering a craft. We love working with equines in any capacity, and we love farming. This work is a way to combine those two passions in order to keep learning about them and improving our skills. Earning a living by doing work we enjoy (that keeps us active, healthy and gaining) makes sense to us in a world full of uncertainties. Watching our farm unfold and evolve is also hugely motivating. I love watching plants grow - from trees, to crops, to grass. It is amazing to observe everything that is happening and to know that you’re a part of that.

Our farm is 19 acres of leased ground up on Alder Slope. Topographically it contains a wetland, an upland bench, and an irrigation ditch. We are actively keeping stock out of the wetland with a fence and our vision is to plant wet loving trees in that area to create more habitat for wildlife. We are working with the contour of the land and planting crops on the upland bench. All the lower pasture will be rotationally grazed, to maximize feed and encourage grass growth. We’ll keep stock access to the irrigation ditch minimal, and plant more trees along it to create a natural windbreak and more habitat. In our deer fenced garden, we will plant many flowers to encourage pollinators.

Through years of farming and exposure to both new and old ideas of farming, we have come to the conclusion that as humans we play an important role as caretakers of land. As farmers we are definitely having an impact, but we aim to lessen that impact as much as we can, and practice methods that allow biological systems to continue doing their work, which in turn helps us out. Our hope is for this community to remain largely agricultural without major conventional development, and that our focus on water conservation will keep precious resources clean and abundant so more small farms will pop up.

We were drawn to this place for multiple reasons. In the context of wanting to start a farm, we loved that the county is still very much agriculturally based. Upon visiting we noticed more livestock than humans! We are drawn to places where people are still working with and value their relationships with livestock, and appreciate the bounty that the land can provide. In the context of a place to settle, the community immediately made an impression on us. Everyone waves! People notice each other and extend that simple kindness, even though they may not know you or your politics. We connected with people here quickly, and although we have not been here long, they’ve felt like old friends.

With her son James and daughter Adele, Liza Jane McAlister operates the multigenerational 6 Ranch in Wallowa County.

"The word Stewardship comes from an old Germanic Norse, the first part meaning “house or hall”, the second part meaning “ward”. The first stewards were just servants, tasked with making sure there was food, drinks & a hall in the castle. That word has evolved its usage over time, but understanding its origin of service helps me to understand what my role is as a land steward. It means that I’m not in charge of this place, this place isn’t working for me, I’m working for it.” - James Nash, 6 Ranch Outfitters, son of Liza Jane

“My actions are in service to the land, to the wildlife, to the grass, to the river. Part of the reason that 6 Ranch has been successful through so many generations is that we haven’t taken too big of a bite, we’ve always looked at it as something we’ve been tasked with caring for. We are not a parasite on the landscape, it’s a symbiotic relationship, the ranch gives us everything that we need. We do our best to give the land everything it needs." - James Nash

"To be a servant, and a mother, you have to get fulfillment from the work, from the purpose. When you talk about being a servant to the land, it is symbiotic. It is a cycle that we pour energy into and it comes back. Days you want to quit, are the days that your expectations were higher than your gratitude. We know that nature doesn’t care about our plans, it is only affected by our actions, not our ideas or intentions. There is not a lot of fame or recognition here either.” - Adele Schott, 6 Ranch Livestock Manager, daughter of Liza Jane

“The ranchers who I have seen thrive in their work, who seem to not age, are those who keep learning and showing up, the ones that believe that this kind of work gives you endless amounts of purpose." - Adele Schott

"I’m still breaking through what it means to be a daughter, and then a mother, on a multigenerational ranch. My voice feels a little bit of an echo to my mother, and a little bit my own. I have endless amounts of gratitude for everything my mom did for us when we were young and an evolving perspective as I raise my own kids here. That feeling and understanding of who is going to be here when you’re gone and the need for my children to have the opportunity to be on a healthy piece of land. Sometimes I feel like I’m cultivating that, sometimes it can feel totally out of my control." - Adele Schott

"I am fortunate in opportunity. To care for a piece of land that three generations of my family cared for before me— land cared for by two generations following me. The work is real; it's in my blood. I am rooted in this landscape and community, without them I wouldn’t be myself. The previous generations could’ve sold out and had an easier life but didn’t. That lesson is in the river and rocks and soil here, that easy isn’t better. I’m grateful for their sacrifice. James and Adele knew this too, have known it since they were little and doing ranch chores. This is our legacy and heritage and responsibility.“ - Liza Jane, Owner at 6 Ranch

"There are a lot of tangible ways that humans are in control that people love to talk about. We love to talk about conservation and preservation. But there are physical things we’ve done here that have massive implications beyond the 6 Ranch. You can look at the juniper removal project, hundreds of thousands of gallons of water that are no longer being used by those trees, that now gets to stay in the river. The juniper was milled and repurposed. We built a new river channel to create habitat for multitudes by raising the water table throughout the valley. We had multiple endangered species return to that section of the river. We have a robust population of mule deer that live here in Fall-Spring when they’re fawning, and part of the reason they’re able to do that is by the way we’ve managed the grass and by relieving the pressure from predators." - James Nash

“There are things we do that benefit wildlife, but within that you’re always managing for an objective. What’s good for the bull trout, isn’t necessarily good for the juniper, but part of our task here is to identify what needs help and determine which levers we can pull to help those things.” - James Nash

"That’s been our management style over all, aiming towards what we want to see more of instead of what we want to eradicate. If there are too many noxious weeds in a pasture, the management question becomes, “how can we make this a more hospitable ground for native grasses to thrive.” Diversity and balance are the keys to health, anywhere but especially the land.” - Adele Schott

“Folks will feel inspired and ask how they can support us, and it always comes down to “buy our products, and for us that is grass-fed beef”. That’s not romantic, it might not feel heroic, but spending your money, intentionally, when it comes to food allows us to continue doing the work. We hope that people will trust us, even if they don’t know us because we believe that we care the most. We care about the health of this land. My livelihood, my children’s livelihood, and my parents' livelihood depends on a regenerative landscape. There are ugly parts, because nature isn’t all beautiful, it can be merciless. We are comfortable with that, and that’s why we can cut down juniper and nurture a creature till it’s death." - Adele Schott

Montana Pagano is a Watershed Restoration Specialist for the Nez Perce Fisheries. She specializes in fish habitat restoration within the tribe’s treaty territory. She is the first person in Wallowa Resources new Stewardship Series, in which we highlight and the share inspiring stories of a local land steward once monthly.

It’s important to me that people know that this work stems from arriving at a place of having to restore habitat in freshwater natal streams because of the extent of degradation we've gotten to. Ideally we would never come to this place where we are trying to save salmon, a species that is 6 million years old. It's such a linchpin in the ecosystem; bringing marine, derived nutrients up from the ocean 500+ miles away, that's incredible and so unique.

The fact that we're so far inland at this elevation with these mountains, the fact that we have salmon coming in, and that we still have a chance to make a positive impact and save these fish. We have a tremendous amount of water here with the snowpack we should have on an average year, the elevation in the mountains, and the lake. There's a lot of hope for this area, and I hope that folks will keep the faith, and get behind the restoration efforts being done to save the salmon and other important species.

This specific area is meaningful to me because my family comes from Wallowa, they settled in this specific portion of the valley. My grandparents were born and raised here, and we spent time in our cabin in the mountains. I feel extremely connected. My dad built this longhouse, so this specific piece of ground is near and dear to me.

To impact this area in a positive way is very special. The fact that it's such an important place for descendants of the Wallowa Band of the Nez Perce makes it even more special.

One of the proudest honored moments I've had here at Tamkaliks was the side channel blessing. Hearing the traditional Nez Perce songs brought me to tears. The symbolism of it not just being a big project, but something even more impactful, and the community coming together, it was a really moving moment.

About the side channel project: the homeland project approached Nez Perce Fisheries (specifically Joe McCormack) about restoring a simplified, channeled stretch of river with very little habitat for juvenile salmonids to feed and rest

We worked with an engineer to design this complex, multi-thread project in the flood plain so the river can interact and recharge the water table, *wet the sponge* and provide juvenile rearing. Today we are here looking for Coho Reds, but this is a very new project so it hasn't had a chance to flush the sediment out.

We are hoping by this time next year we will see coho spawning and potentially steelhead, and a number of different juveniles in this channel. We also planted willows to enhance the floodplain adjacent to the river

My grandparents inspired me to be mindful of the land, how we utilize it and how to give back to it. Taking us in the mountains and experiencing the outdoors to build appreciation, and now be able to pass on that experience. Yeah, I just can't imagine not feeling that connection to the land in which you live. I can't remember a walk where she didn't pick up a piece of trash or point out a plant to identify. They motivated me and inspired me to do the work that I do today. Rivers are truly the epicenter of my life and my livelihood - whether it's restoration work, flyfishing, rafting, hunting, or family gatherings in the canyons. Nothing on earth brings me more peace or interconnectedness than the time on the river.