Posted by Leif Riddervold on June 2nd, 2009

Last week I had the honor of visiting the Biltmore Estate near Asheville, North Carolina.  The Biltmore Estate was built in the late 1800’s by George Washington Vanderbilt, grandson of railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt.  Joining me on this trip was our Forester Ches Goodall, and our Development Director Joe Barnes.  The folks at the Biltmore had invited us to tour their property and learn about the great work they are practicing in the field of sustainable forestry and agriculture.  The tours that were offered us were led by none other than three of the most talented and gracious people the Estate had to offer.  Bill Alexander, the Landscape and Forest Historian for the Biltmore briefed us extensively on the history of the property, and the steps that led to the eventual acquisition of some 120,000 acres of land that would provide the canvas on which America’s first professional forester, Gifford Pinchot could practice his art.  The Director of Horticulture, Parker Andes, and their Vice President for Agricultural Sciences, Ted Katsigianis led us in the field, allowing us to see first hand the practices that they are implementing in the forests and on their farm.  These three, as well as several others who joined us for lunch and dinner, could not have been more gracious, and their enthusiasm for the land, its past, present and future was simply infectious.   We only hope that when they come to visit us here at Bundoran Farm that we can come close to returning their hospitality.

There are many similarities between Bundoran Farm and the Biltmore Estate.  We both pride ourselves in maintaining a productive and healthy working landscape, and also strive to perfect sustainable practices in the fields and the forest.  While the Biltmore has more land to work with than our 2,300 acres, the approaches are similar.  They raise beef cattle and sheep; tend extensive gardens and almost 100 acres of grapes for their award winning wines.  Here at Bundoran Farm, we also raise beef cattle, but instead of grapes we have apples.  Our newest venture has been to experiment with Shitake Mushrooms, and we are studying other possibilities so that our agricultural base will be more diverse.  Both properties have set aside forest preserves, while also managing most of the stands for multiple objectives, including careful resource extraction.  This is why visits to properties like the Biltmore are important.  The sharing of knowledge will help both of us to continue the fine art of sustainably managing our most precious resource, the land.

Filed under: Agriculture, Education and Inspiration, Nature/Environment