Sachs family is doing smallholder farming in Lawrence Township

Sandy Slopes Farm is situated on the outskirts of Bolivar at the corner of Fort Laurens Road and Mabel Drive. Caleb Sachs is a fourth-generation farmer, hailing from the Gary Franks family, who founded the original Sandy Slopes Farm on Shepler Church Road.

The 5-acre homestead has recently raised eyebrows among a few people who were bothered enough by the animals and grass growth to have complained to the Lawrence Township Trustees and zoning inspector.

Sachs learned about the complaints by reading The Bargain Hunter coverage of the June 26 meeting of the Lawrence Township Board of Trustees, when three township residents lodged complaints about grass not being mowed and farm animals grazing in the front yard. The residents said they had tried talking to the property owner to no avail.

That statement came as a complete surprise to Sachs, who said none of his neighbors have talked to him about it, and he is eager to share what he is doing with anyone who cares to ask.

“Nothing I’m doing here is a secret, and I’m happy to talk to anyone who wants to stop by,” Sachs said.

What Sachs is doing is homesteading, a movement with roots in back-to-the-land ideas focused on subsistence farming, sustainability and a connection to nature.

To try to reach out to the community, Sachs posted the article he read on the Best of Bolivar Facebook page, along with photos of his animals. His post generated about 20 comments from people interested to know what he’s doing and sparked conversations about farming that people probably would not have had otherwise.

“I think it’s easy to drive by and say, ‘Well, there’s an unmowed lawn,’ but there’s a reason for that,” Sachs said. “We move our animals every day, and by doing that, the animals graze the grass. This helps control parasites. And because our grass is never grazed below 50% of its height, the roots never stop growing like they do in lawns that are mowed.”

This method of regenerative agriculture aims to improve the health and biodiversity of ecosystems while restoring and enhancing soil health.

Among the farm animals that freely graze in the side and backyard are two hens, a rooster, a turkey, two cows, a rabbit and several sheep.

“We sell dairy herdshares of our cows, and we have two local families that participate in that,” Sachs said.

The shareholders help pay for the animal’s upkeep, which then entitles them to a portion of the milk produced by the cow.

The Sachs’ farm also offers herdshares of their chickens, entitling local families who participate to a share of the eggs the hens lay. Sachs said in addition to feeding his family, he contributes to the dinner tables of 10 local families.

Coming home

While Sachs grew up here, he has spent time in other places, most of which simply made him long for home. His wife Naomi is originally from San Jose, California and had never lived outside a city. While living in Arlington, Virginia, Caleb Sachs brought up the idea of moving back to Ohio.

“She said, ‘We can move back to Ohio if we live in Cleveland for a year or two,’ so we did,” he said. “Funny thing is we were allowed to have six chickens in our backyard in Cleveland, but we can’t have them here in the township.”

Caleb Sachs believes the future of agriculture lies in the 5-acre farm. “I don’t see agriculture being large scale anymore. Land prices are higher than they’ve ever been. I don’t see people of my generation or younger being able to afford a 100-acre farm. But there’s a lot of people who can afford a 5-acre farm,” he said.

Sachs hopes to continue his regenerative farming and has posted a sign on his fence with his phone number should anyone wish to call and learn more.