Milking cows by the time she was four, Dielle Fleischmann grew up learning to love farming. Her father ran his farm to take care of the land, and she believes in and works hard to maintain that legacy.

"At first, after I purchased Over the Grass Farm in 1979, I simply wanted to raise crops and animals for my family and our guests. But soon, when friends who had dined with us and taken a few things home, began hopefully to ask if they could possibly have meat and fresh vegetables on a more regular basis. This was the beginning of the OTGF business."

Her son, Charles, helped her turn Over the Grass Farm into a working farm.

"It was sort of a Potemkin Village and not in the best condition when we began. Without Charles, who's now a hay broker and Whipper In to multiple hunts in South East Pennsylvania, we would have never accomplished all that we have done."

Today, OTGF operates on more than 400 rolling acres with pasture for cattle, sheep and horses on more than half of it. As committed to preserving diversity of wildlife as she is to creating plant, animal and microbial diversity, the farm has five ponds and several fenced streams to encourage native plant growth which protect it from grazing stock.

Asked if OTGF products are certified organic, Dielle laughs as she responds, "…Our standards are, in some ways, more stringent than those of those of certified organic."

Talking in the busy farm office with the elegant woman who is regarded by many as a living treasure in The Piedmont area, it is clear that she lives a life of stewardship of the land.

Farming was a self-sufficient endeavor on Dielle's father's farm.

"We had beef and dairy cattle, hogs, chickens, vegetables, fruit and a complete staff of carpenters, electricians, farm staff, a manager, stone workers, mechanics and so many more," she remembered. That was my model for Over the Grass Farm."

Currently, there are six Jersey cows for the OTGF cow sharing program that allows shareholders to enjoy raw milk year round. In fact, when one arrive at the farm store, the first thing one notices behind the big glass refrigerators doors are the sparkling jars of milk with each owner's name on them.

"Our dairy is run through a cow-share program in which our customers buy a share in a cow and receive milk weekly. This is the only legal arrangement to offer truly fresh, unprocessed milk in Virginia.

"After I visited New Zealand, I was very impressed with their way of farming. The best way to learn more about this was to invest in a farm there. This resulted in bringing some New Zealand Coopworth sheep to Over the Grass Farm.

"All our pastures are set up in a New Zealand style rotational grazing system in which animals are moved regularly through a series of small paddocks throughout the grazing season.

"We were very lucky to employ a wonderful woman and friend, Hope Yankey, who helped us get our herd started here. Although she now lives in West Virginia, she comes back to supervise the sheep several times a year."

After the 250 OTGF sheep are shorn, the raw wool is sold. When the lambs are 18 months old, those not kept for breeding become the delicious lamb chops, roasts, ground lamb, sausage and other products so in demand by customers.

"In addition to all our wonderful beef and lamb, we have fruitful gardens which produce vegetables and greens year round.

"Our orchards produce superb, apples, figs, plums, raspberries currents, gooseberries.

"Phillip Ramsey of Stonleigh Farms tends to our thirty-seven hives. Our bees make truly delicious honey from wild flowers.

"Our staff are all wonderful," Dielle says smiling, "but I have a phobia about pigweed and no one can ever get rid of all of it. I'm sure the men become frustrated with me when I find some, pull it out and leave it in the way!"

Why are OTGF products so prized by highly discriminating shoppers in The Piedmont?

Perhaps, because when Dielle's father died very young of cancer, she began to reflect on what could have been the cause.

"His death made me wonder what could have caused the cancer, and I began to focus on the chemicals that had become so prevalent in our food. Today, OTGF vegetables are of high quality and the cows and sheep are always grass fed. Our standards are very high and we constantly strive to meet them."

If the definition of a working farm means a self-sufficient enterprise, Deille's Over the Grass Farm is a model 21st Century agrarian enterprise. Although it is growing and evolving to meet increasing demand, her standards remain impressively high, and her more than contented customers are proof of that.

"I could not do anything without the help of Lacy Warner our farm manager," she emphasizes. "In addition to making sure our customers are well cared for and the many agricultural processes are running smoothly, Lacy also takes care of our horses and gives riding lessons."

Lacy gives riding lessons to children and adults who want to fox-hunt, which she describes as a truly excellent way for anyone to learn to ride confidently cross country or in the ring.

"I grew up riding before I could walk," Dielle adds.

"But at Over the Grass Farm, Lacy is in charge of the horses. That includes boarding, training, horses for sale or lease, lessons, rehab and rescue."

"We have about 20 children every week for riding lessons," Lacy explains, "and we have a few Nokota horses that are absolutely wonderful."

Nokota horses are believed to descend from Sitting Bull's herd, a breed that Dielle's son Charles and his wife, Blair, have established the Nokota Horse Conservancy to protect. The Nokota Horse Conservancy maintains a large herd of Nokotas in Linton, North Dakota.

"When they arrive from North Dakota," according to Lacy, "where I choose them based on conformation, they are completely feral.

"They are very sure footed and, although it takes us a year or two to take them from wild and feral to fox hunters, in the end, they are exceptional hunters."

Over the Grass Farm is definitely a living example of the best of new agrarianism.

"When I reflect on all we're doing, I must admit I am a bit surprised," Dielle says. 'Several years ago, we brought in a horse logger to care for our forest, and I wondered if we should have him full time. The more we can do ourselves, the better our life and the products our customers love."

To inquire about our products and services or to order Over the Grass Farm products, please visit the website www.overthegrassfarm.net.