Farm Life at Skycrest
Fields at Skycrest is an 95 acre working farm that produces hay, supports bees, and raises beef cattle. Miniature donkeys and alpacas are residents of the farm as well.
Todd grew up as a Mooresville native. He is the son of a local grading contractor. From an early age, Todd learned to move dirt, drive equipment, and his family always had livestock. He remembers, as a child, being up early to bottle feed baby cows and chasing them in the middle of the night when they found their way out of the pasture. He never dreamed that farming would call his name later in life.
With a degree in Biology from UNC-Chapel Hill, his love of science and nature has brought him back to his farming roots. Todd spends every spare minute away from his Chiropractic practice trying to make the working farm a better place for his family, the animals, and the guests at Fields at Skycrest. He enjoys sharing these life lessons and moments with his daughter and is proud to share his passion for the land and its animals with guests.
Alpacas
We are often asked why we have alpacas. We sometimes wonder this ourselves! Alpacas are closely related to camels and are somewhat finicky to raise and maintain. That said, we challenge our guests to spend more than a few minutes with Earl and his comrades without laughing out loud. They have very unique, individual personalities and their facial expressions almost always let you know what they are thinking.
Bees
Did you know that one in four bites that goes into your mouth requires the services of a pollinator like a honeybee?? In our personal lives and also at Fields at Skycrest, we want to be good stewards of the land and good stewards to all creatures both great and small. You’ll probably never see our apiary (bee yard) or its residents, but know that they are hard at work every day making Fields at Skycrest beautiful and lush for your enjoyment.
Chickens
Why do we raise a flock of chickens? You are probably thinking it's for the delicious eggs or meat. The truth is that those are nice benefits, but the chickens are a part of a much bigger agricultural picture. With our mobile chicken coop, affectionately called the Coup De'ville, we are able to move our flock all over the property. With each new location, the chickens are able to enjoy fresh grass, new dirt, and manure to pick through from our other animals. While our flock enjoys the free range lifestyle, we reap the bigger rewards like less bugs which means less pesticides and they help us naturally fertilize our land.
Cows
What started as a desire to raise a few cows for our own source of meat for our family, has turned into a full time job of raising cattle and producing hay to support the herd. The farm raises mostly commercial cow/calf pairs, although you may see our daughter’s pasture pets as well. We take great pride in our livestock. Our healthy babies are born every spring and fall and are a big attraction for our guests at the farm.
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Donkeys
While admiring the cattle, you will notice that we have a few miniature donkeys in the fields as companions. Donkeys inherently have a guardian nature and protect the other animals from predators like coyotes. Our donkeys seem more content to graze and play than protect, but they are adorable and fun to watch.
Horses
Our friends Ruby, Rosie and big Jack love to greet our guests as they park and walk to the venue. They are our sweet pasture pets who love attention and gentle rubs. Both younger and older guests enjoy visiting with our equine friends.
