Claverach Farm has been in the family for over 100 years. It is 300 acres in the midst of a larger 1000 acre family property located in Eureka, MO.
The original family farm was located in the Wydown neighborhood of St. Louis and is now known as Claverach Park. The family sold that ground and moved to Eureka in the early 1900s.
Because the property has been undisturbed from development, extensive logging, and intensive agriculture, it looks much more like what you would see in the southern Ozarks than a property so close to St. Louis. We have two state-winning trees and many rare wildflower species.
Although most of the property is quite steep and rugged, we have about 15 acres of fruits, vegetables, and wine grapes.
The focus at Claverach has always been on the soil. We spend a lot of time and energy remineralizing our soils because balancing the soils allows the crops to defend themselves against weeds, disease, and pests. We try to feed the soil and feed the soil microbiology so that the plants can access their full genetic potential. This also allows us to grow crops with higher nutrient density, which is good from a health perspective and also translates to better flavor.
Good soil health combined with a healthy farm ecosystem gives our crops resilience in the face of environmental stress such as flood and drought.
We do not fall into a particular camp when it comes to agricultural philosophy. If anything, we consider ourselves ‘biological farmers.’ We employ a mixture of organic, biodynamic, and modern farming practices.
