Community Highlights: Meet Jax Nelson of Ellson Farms

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jax Nelson.

Hi Jax, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
We start Ellson Farms in 2020 right during the pandemic. We decided to start our CSA (community shared agriculture) during this time and we ended up selling out our shares within 2 hours. Since then the farm has grown and we now have a portion that is an animal sanctuary.

We host events on the farm where all the funds go back to the animals and help us provide them with shelter, meds, feed, etc. Next year (2024) we decided to end the CSA program and try hosting farmers’ markets on the farm where people can shop local vendors and pick the veggies that we grow right here at Ellson Farms.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We have had a plethora of struggles. One year the farm flooded and we lost a good portion of our crops. We get calls all the time about animals needing new homes that have been neglected and abused. Our very first rescue was two goats and we were not prepared so while my partner Styler went and picked them up I started working on an enclosure and shelter for them to live in. But at the end of the day, every struggle we have encountered has been a lesson for us and we are grateful.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At Ellson Farms we strive to provide an experience that you’ll never forget. We treat guests as if they are family when they walk onto the farm. Everything we do on the farm from CSA shares, Events we host or private events, farmers markets, and what we make through our website all goes back to the sanctuary. We both, Styler and I work full-time jobs M-F so we are weekend warriors on the farm.

We take pride in everything we do. We practice a symbiotic relationship with the animals on the farm and our growing practices. Even though the animals on the farm are rescued they all have a job. When we’re ready to make a new growing bed we start with our goats. They will eat everything from the ground up. Then the pigs come in and till up the soil for us. Then the last crew is our chickens.

They come in and scratch at the ground and clean up everything that is left behind. So not only are they clearing the land for us but they are leaving behind their waste as well which helps fertilize the soil. When the growing season is done they will also come in and clean up the garden beds using the same method.

We also pride ourselves in how we find a way to recycle, reuse and repurpose materials. We have built one of our greenhouses out of old school buses and apartment windows we found. We used old tires to plant squash in. We just had our gutters replaced on the house and requested that they save the old ones so we can turn them into hanging planters to grow herbs in. Our goal is to decrease our carbon footprint as much as possible.

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Making sure that you will never forget your experience when you leave our farm and you look forward to your next visit.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @Ellson Farms
• Facebook: @Ellson Farms