Craig Floyd: The Ultimate Steward Of The Earth

I first heard about Footsteps Farm a few years back through a local group of organic farmers. The buzz was about a farmer named Craig Floyd, who lived on his historic family farm, established in 1712, raised heirloom animals and producing the most flavorful meat in the area.

Now, years later, I still hear the name amongst people with a passion for local, sustainable and delicious food and figured it was finally time to call Farmer Floyd and pay a visit to Footsteps Farm.

Farmer and Owner Craig Floyd was gracious in allowing me to tour the farm but first, we sat on the rustic porch with a view of the pasture, dozens of hummingbirds and the wild sounds of a happy ecosystem.

While Floyd shared his illuminating farming philosophies and family history, I couldn’t help but think he’s one of the most interesting and spot on people I’ve met to date. 

Floyd grew up mostly in Ledyard and graduated from NFA in 1964. A West Mystic postal worker of 23 years, Ledyard High fencing coach and avid historical reenactor, Floyd built his current farmhouse on a road named after his grandparents surrounded by family doing the same.

“I had a great childhood—we’d come up here where we had a tractor and we were haying with horses,” Floyd said. “Sunday dinner was a big meal—we’d all get together at my grandmother’s house down the street. We’d go to Long Pond and go swimming, hunt, shoot and fish.”

Craig owns and runs Footsteps farm with wife Sheryl Floyd and is proud of his historical roots.  

“Our history dates back to the pilgrims,” Floyd said. “We had three relatives who signed the declaration of independence and we’ve had one descendent fight in every war in this country. I toured Vietnam twice.”

Now Floyd focuses on the trajectory of the farm. Footsteps once sold beef, pork, poultry and eggs and is now taking the time to recalibrate, build a smoke house and raise Shireworth pigs for Spanish ham, but his farming practice is equally as important as the livestock.

“What we do is so far out of the ordinary compared to what commercial farms do,” Floyd said. “We take care of the land first, then the animals second and then we take care of ourselves third. Commercial farming could care less about the land.” 

Floyd warns when people purchase grocery store meat, they have no clue what they are ingesting and as a farmer he is willing to illuminate those willing to listen.

”You are eating chicken shit, chlorine and arsenic with every factory farmed chicken,” Floyd said. “People don’t want to hear this stuff but it’s true. The kind of farming that we do will not kill you.” 

Floyd opts for symbiotic farming practices: in his case, having a trilogy of animals: cows, pigs, and chicken which all serve one another. A cow should eat grass not grain, which is commonly fed to cows. Grain ruins the nutritional value of the meat. Cows mow the pasture, which helps the chicken. The chicken helps the cow because the chicken eats the fly larvae so he doesn’t have to spray the cows. The pigs eat the cow pies, which essentially is a pile of reconstituted grass, which eliminates parasites. 

In addition, Floyd keeps his oak trees in the pasture, which produces a natural source of local nutrition for the pigs. 

Sharing his philosophy and raising his animals respectfully and humanely as possible is also the cornerstone of Footsteps philosophy.

“I really care about people,” Floyd said. “When they come to talk to me, I want to give them at least one tidbit of information and maybe, just maybe, I can make a minute change in their health.”