When local resident Kat Krehbiel hatched the idea for a local food farm, chickens were only a small part of the plan. While she and business partner Richard Taylor just sold their first batch of 100 fresh, local chickens two weeks ago off their New Liberty Farms on Mosier Road, about three miles outside of town, the ultimate aim of their business is much bigger. They intend to create and peddle a model of sustainable, independent living that liberates people from dependence on big corporations for their food, water and energy.

“I want to create a corporation that every person in Yellow Springs could buy a share in, because everything about the whole corporation is about community independence,” said Krehbiel, the business incarnation of Kathleen Krehbiel-Boutis.

The farm on Mosier Road currently houses just under 1,000 chicks and chickens who chirp and cluck about all day long in their spacious cages eating bugs, grains and grass. And the 11 young water bufffalo also on the property are a sign of bigger things to come. Krehbiel envisions a farm that grows hydroponic vegetables, grains, fish, eggs, milk and cheeses. She also wants a store to sell all the farm fresh produce, where community members can come to see the farming process and know where their food is coming from. Eventually, the business could also incorporate the sale and/or production of solar and wind energy systems and provide installation and education services for local residents looking to invest in energy efficiency in their homes.

More on this story will appear in the Sept. 16 edition of the YS News.