Hey there! Welcome to our farm.
We’re a diversified, regenerative agricultural family farm in northeast Ohio. With 47 acres, an 1883 barn, a 1908 fixer-upper farmhouse, and 5 little-farmers-in-the-making, we’re always fixing something and always learning some new skill.
At Belvedere Farms, we have two main priorities:
- to raise nutrient-dense, delicious food using sustainable, loving, and environmentally-sound practices and management
- to raise our children to be hard-working, compassionate humans who understand, appreciate, are in awe of, and thoughtfully contribute to and care for the natural world around them.
People often ask what we raise on our farm, and though we know they’re really asking about the animals and produce, our first answer is always: kids! We have five kids, all of whom contribute in meaningful ways to the daily operation of the farm – from the pre-teen to the toddler – we all live here, we all eat here, we all work here.
We moved to the farm in 2015, just after our third child (and feisty only girl) was born. It had been leased and farmed in conventional row crops for more than 30 years with little to no inputs. The land was depleted and the declining yields year after year reflected that neglect. Little by little as time, money, and energy permits, we’re rebuilding and regenerating the biodiversity of the soil, water systems, and forage of our 47 acres.
We came to farming in search of flavor, looking for nutrient-dense foods bursting with natural goodness that can only come from sun on grass and free-ranging, happy animals (and plants!) living their best lives. We believe in good food – in sourcing the best whole ingredients from responsible local growers, and learning the basic old-fashioned skills necessary to create simple, wholesome, nutrient-dense, from-scratch meals with those ingredients.
About Us
Jordan grew up in Las Vegas, but spent two years as a missionary in southern Italy where he refined his tastes and interest in good food. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, a Master’s in American Government, and a PhD in Political Theory and American Government from Claremont University in Claremont, California. He taught Political Science at the University of Nevada Las Vegas before we moved to the farm in 2015. He is an aspiring pastry chef and the impetus and genius behind most of the fancy food we eat here on the farm. He also runs our off-farm business (WallQuotes.com) to pay the bills and keep the lights on. He is a dedicated cyclist and puts in hundreds of miles each month riding the rolling hills within a 50 mile radius of the farm and executes a grueling 100 mile ride south to Columbus every summer.
Raelene grew up on a cattle ranch in northern British Columbia, Canada. She rode horses, chased cows, checked fence, and loved being outside. She loved how she grew up and always hoped to have a few acres so her kids could have a similar experience. She has Bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and French and a Master’s degree in English Literature. She loves to read and always finds a way to sneak in a few minutes of reading every day. She makes the garden plans and spearheads all the canning and preserving we do every summer. Peas and tomatoes are her favorite things to grow and she feels that the best way to eat both is straight out of the garden, sun on her shoulders, dirt on her hands.
Together with our five kids, we are your farmers.
We raise beef, pork, chicken, eggs, and fresh vegetables. Most everything we eat is grown right here – farm to fork. We are passionate about sharing our story, our knowledge, and our hard-earned old-fashioned skills in the hope of inspiring you to make the most of the best you’ve got – whether that means growing your own food in your backyard and making more meals from scratch or sourcing the best ingredients you can find from your own local farmers.
And if you’ve got questions, we’d love to hear ’em.