Though the views around Jackson Hole are ripe with beauty, the same can’t always be said for fresh produce. The arid and rocky environment of the Tetons, as well as the cold winters, have historically made growing fruits and vegetables very difficult.
However, farmers and ranchers have worked hard to learn from the land and grow food and raise healthy animals despite the elemental barriers. One such farm is Huidekoper Ranch, located about one mile from the base of Teton Pass.
The Huidekoper (pronounced high-dee-coo-per) Ranch has been in the Huidekoper family since the 1950s when Virgina and Jim Huidekoper bought the land after they married. Preceded in death by her husband, Virginia passed away in 2010. Now, her granddaughter, Claire Fuller, and grandson, Nate Fuller, own the ranch along with a few other family members. Nate, Claire, and her husband, Brent Tyc, manage the property together, with Tyc taking the role of the ranch/farm manager. Although the farm’s first growing season was in 2016, the family has boarded horses for more than 30 years on the property’s 140 acres.
Regenerative growing
Tyc pulls from a variety of agriculture techniques, including the bio-intensive method and regenerative farming practices. Tyc follows the methodology of regenerative agriculture but applies it to the specific needs and challenges Huidekoper faces. Regenerative agriculture describes a variety of sustainable techniques that, when combined, mitigate climate change by growing plants and raising livestock in a way that moves carbon dioxide into the soil.
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