Box 21: Lindale Farm

If you've ever bought a carton of Organic Valley milk in central NC, chances are that milk came from Lindale Farm in Chatham County. A 500 acre family dairy in the heart of the Silk Hope community, Lindale Farm retains the character of the 19th century rural South. A massive old oak stands sentinel over a historic farm house, and old rustic buildings and silos dot the landscape.

Organic farms of this size are hard to find in central North Carolina. Most organic farms are small operations of five to ten acres, typically interspersed with dense woodlands. Lindale Farms is massive enough to enable scheduled grazing rotations over several large pastures. The result is healthier, more productive dairy cows, and hundreds of acres of potential grassland habitat.

In California and other states, Barn Owls are being increasingly used on organic farms as natural pest management. The Barn Owls thrive, since organic methods prevent the use of potentially harmful pesticides and rodenticides. The result is a win/win both for farmers and the owls.

We arrived late on a Sunday afternoon in February to install a nest box at Lindale Farm. Cori and Neill, the owners, told us to place the box wherever we wanted. There were so many structures and fields to choose from, it actually took us a while to find the right spot.

Any farmer will tell you that structure has the potential to attract pests. They love to hide out in these places, as do their predators. Because the fields are so open and sprawling on this particular farm, we decided to place the box amongst some of the old barns and silos.

I half expected to find a roosting Barn Owl somewhere in these old barns. In every direction I found scenes like this one. This place is the real deal.

After deciding on a location next to a grain storage bin, we had the box up in minutes. Norm and I, both being perfectionists, had trouble getting the pole just right. 

Box #21 is now fully installed at Lindale Farm. We are thrilled to be working with organic farms to help promote natural, sustainable pest management, while simultaneously aiding a threatened bird species. With a little luck, this picturesque dairy may have some new avian tenants come breeding season.