Some of the best things in life aren’t planned. When Clara Zander found a 200 acre rental property in the fall of 2019, 30 minutes outside of Asheville, North Carolina, it was settled in that moment that she would start farming there. That property birthed what came to be known as The Wild Way Farm.

After a year of homesteading and learning more about the land, in 2021 Clara started producing pasture raised quail, farrow to finish pastured pork, and tri-purpose chickens (for meat, eggs, and feathers).

The Wild Way Farm was started with the intention of closing as many loops in the farm system as possible, in order to make a truly resilient and sustainable operation. Breeding animals were maintained for every species in order to have independence from commercial hatcheries and feeder pig producers. Every product sold at market came from an animal that had been born and, with the exception of the pigs, processed on the farm. The farm’s hogs were processed in a local inspected facility. Clara built a mobile, FDA inspected processing facility in order to process her quail on-site, and used the same facility to process her chickens under the USDA poultry exemption.

To reduce reliance on commercial feed sources and increase her overall profit margins, Clara teamed up with local breweries and food banks to use would-be food waste as nutrient-dense livestock feed. In addition to their constant pasture and woodland rotations, her quail, chickens, and pigs thrived on fresh produce, local bread and dairy, and spent brewers grains. This diet not only improved their overall health, but aided in producing remarkably flavorful meats and eggs.

The Wild Way Farm sold primarily at the North Asheville Tailgate Market and West Asheville Tailgate Market, as well as selling wholesale to local restaurants and private chefs. Their pelts and feathers were marketed in person and online through various retailers.

In the middle of 2022, the landowner decided to sell the property, and by November of the same year, the farm had been relocated just 4 minutes from the original property, to a small, steep, 10 acre parcel.

In order to move the farm, Clara decided to dissolve the pastured quail operation; with no available pastureland it wouldn’t be possible to raise the birds to the same standard of care. She also greatly reduced the size of the pig operation for similar reasons.

After months of shifting perspectives and approaches and trying to integrate with the new landscape without success, Clara and The Wild Way Farm were offered a new home at Timshel Wildland, the demonstration site of Robinia Institute and the Virginia Savory Institute hub.

At the beginning of April, 2023 The Wild Way Farm landed at Timshel Wildland. Here, the two entities worked together to rewild the landscape and integrate their cattle, chicken, and pig operations to benefit the whole.

After co-farming the land for a season, Clara realized the need for long-term access to land in order to farm to the best of her ability. It was with a heavy heart that she dissolved the remainder of The Wild Way Farm after the 2023 season.

Her unique flock of tri-purpose chickens and working dogs were taken on by Hungry World Farm in Illinois, and Clara continues to develop unique solutions and systems based approaches on farms throughout the country with her consulting work.