57 Jug End Rd, Great Barrington, MA 01230

Indian Line Farm grows approximately 5 acres of vegetables for our CSA, one market and a few stores and restaurants. We sell year round. We utilize 3- 30x96 greenhouses to produce heat loving crops early and to achieve winter/late fall/spring production of various greens, radishes, cilantro, scallions and carrots. The tour will include a basic introduction to the farm, greenhouse management and scheduling, grafting tomatoes, and soil health under plastic. We will also take a look at our new 8' deer exclusion fence and the economics of that investment. As this will be the first visit of the season we will also do introductions and orient all apprentices to the CRAFT program as a whole.  

24 Hulst Rd, Amherst, MA 01002

This visit will be an overview of the major areas of business management that we rely on to make our farm economically functional. We will cover planning (including budgeting), bookkeeping & accounting, marketing, insurance & administration, communication (website, email, and database). We will consider this a “survey” and give lots of information on all of these topics, but not dwell too long on any one of them. We will give out written materials to be used as reference for the meeting and for later reference. 

In addition, we will wrap up the CRAFT program for the season by having a short round-table discussion about strengths and weaknesses of the program and suggestions for improvements. We look forward to everyone attending and sharing their experiences to help improve our program.

1360 River Rd, Clarksburg, MA 01247

How are ways that a small vegetable farm like Many Forks -- with 2 acres in cultivation and without any livestock -- can close the loop, i.e. conserve resources, attend to environmental impact, and bring in fewer inputs? We’ll share with you the things we have done we feel to be successful and some others that we feel have not been, some of our experiments in progress, and things we hope to do in the near future. As Jesse Frost says in his new book The Living Soil Handbook, “There are no perfect tools in farming.” I might extend that to “there are no perfect answers in farming.” Join us for a farm tour and discussion around the imperfect, the promising and the befuddling approaches, ideas, successes, and “the word is still out” ways we are trying to close the loop here at Many Forks Farm.

Many Forks Farm is located on 20 acres along the North Branch of the Hoosic River in Clarksburg, MA and grows 2-acres of vegetables, berries, herbs and flowers for an 85-household CSA, a farm stand, a spring plant sale, a fall stocking up sale, and a farm processing kitchen.

327 Co Rd 21C, Ghent, NY 12075

Since 1972, Hawthorne Valley has been producing high quality, Biodynamic and organic foods in upstate New York. Our Biodynamic farm includes dairy cows, vegetables, a creamery, organic bakery, sauerkraut cellar, and more. Our Farm Store is a full-line natural foods store open 7 days a week. Our farm spans 400 acres of woodlands and rolling hills, open fields and meadows, and flowing creeks and streams. We lease an additional 400 acres in the area, allowing us to produce almost of all of our own feed on farm for our cows, pigs and meat chickens. At the heart of the farm is the closed herd of cows which, to a large degree, provides the pulse for and rhythm of the adjunct operations. The cows furnish the milk for our Creamery operation, and provide, along with the other farm animals, the basis of our compost, which is essential for building soil fertility to ensure a continuous, regenerative cycle. The farm includes:  

• A 65-cow dairy herd which supplies milk to the Creamery  

• 16 acres of vegetables which support a 300-member CSA, weekly farmers markets, our farm store, internal programming meals, and wholesale accounts. 

• 50 acres of food and feed-grade small grain production  

• 40 pigs who eat the "waste" whey from the Creamery as well as food scraps 

• 2400 meat chickens raised during the pasture season on dairy pastures 

This visit will include an overview of how Hawthorne Valley incorporates Biodynamic farming techniques (which HVF has been following for over 40 years). We will examine the concept of the farm individuality, central to Biodynamic farming principle, and discuss how our different enterprises nest into one another. The practical focus will be on how composting cycles nutrients from our field crops and cow herd throughout the farm. We will discuss our production technique, and what we are looking for in our overall farm fertility management.  

59 Forget Rd, Hawley, MA 01339

Meadowsweet Farm is a dairy and diversified livestock farm.  We sell certified organic and certified grass-fed milk, meat, eggs and wool products.  We started our farm about 10 years ago in central New York and moved to Massachusetts in 2019.   We raise cows, sheep, pigs, chickens and turkeys. 

Our farming practices are rooted in efforts to produce food that is better for us, and in ways that are better for our environment and the welfare of our animals.  We believe that a diversified farm is a healthier farm because each species takes something different from the land and gives back something different.  We also believe that farming in eco-conscious ways that preserve our natural surroundings and the diversity of ecosystems is imperative to a healthy and sustainable farm.   

 We are excited to have this opportunity to share our farm with you.  We will talk about the lessons we’ve learned, the improvements we’ve made and the goals that we have.  We will start with a farm tour and pasture walk.  We will try and illustrate how our diversification benefits the farm and the challenges it brings.  We will also discuss our efforts to find a balance with nature so that we benefit from our natural surroundings and they benefit from us.  Grazing is at the core of our practices.  So, we’ll discuss being 100% grass fed, rotational grazing, management intensive grazing, multi-species grazing, soil regeneration and silvopasture.  We’ll bring the cows in for milking and end with our afternoon milking routine and discussion on organic dairying.  Gus and Kyra Tafel, Farmers

12 McCarty Rd, Tyringham, MA 01264

Situated on 10 acres, our farm has just over 1 ⅓ acre in cultivation in a permanent bed, hand-scale farming system. This system is managed by a dynamic team of 6 farmers that grow over 70 different crops throughout the year. Our fields and unheated greenhouses are established in 30-inch rows and 12-inch aisles. During the visit we will discuss our practices and show you the tools we use to grow food for our CSA and other markets. In addition we will discuss our farming philosophy and talk about Finca Luna Búho and Woven Roots Farm & Education Center.

1255 Oblong Rd, Williamstown, MA 01267

Cricket Creek is a grass-based dairy farm managed by a small team of collaborators.  The entire farm is comprised of about 500 acres, about 150 of which is hay fields, just over 100 is pasture, and the rest is wooded.  We are one of the oldest dairy farms in the region, but infused with new life and energy.  Our primary activity is raising dairy cows for their good milk.  Our milking herd ranges between 35 and 40 lactating animals, depending on the time of yea,r and the entire dairy herd is about 80 animals including the dry cows and young stock.  We sell raw milk from our farm and the rest of our milk we make into artisanal cheese in our farmstead creamery; in 2017 we made about 47,000 lbs of cheese.  We raise grass-fed beef and whey-fed pork.  We sell our goods through our farm store, at local farmers markets, and through various regional cheese shops, food co-ops, restaurants, and other establishments.  Our mission is to produce nourishing food that honors our animals, respects the land and feeds our community, and to exemplify a sustainable model for small-farm viability.   

Our workshop will be an overview of running a small diversified dairy farm.  We will discuss rotational grazing, dairy cow health issues, our nurse cow system, milking schedules, farmstead cheese production, raw milk and cheese marketing and sales.  We will talk about our systems for integrating other enterprises on the dairy farm.  We will share the challenges and successes financially turning around an old dairy farm and what it means to run a sustainable dairy operation.  Our current iteration of Cricket Creek is fairly new and we are relatively young farmers; we can give the perspective of a start-up business including the intricacies of getting well established and grounded with careful planning and record keeping.

Shelburne Falls Rd, Conway, MA 01341

We will discuss our use of six workhorses as the exclusive source of draft power on our farm. We will cover equipment and techniques for everything from primary tillage to bed forming, transplanting, cultivating, foliar feeding, mowing, crop harvesting, and more in the vegetable operation. We'll also touch on our process of harvesting loose hay to fuel the working herd. This visit will feature demonstrations of horsepower on a few different implements in the field. We will also discuss the use of cover crops to target a variety of goals such as improving soil structure, maintaining organic matter, controlling weeds, and creating beneficial habitat as well as our approach to managing soil fertility and plant health. Technical considerations will be shared in the context of the philosophy which shapes and guides our approach to stewarding the farm ecosystem.

Natural Roots is a horse-powered family farm in Conway, MA, operating since 1997. We raise 4 1/4 acres of produce for about 200 summer CSA shareholders and about 55 winter shares, plus our farm store and wholesale customers, and another 4 1/4 acres of soil-building crops. Many of the farm’s systems have been modeled on the work of Anne and Eric Nordell and we have a strong focus on weed control, biological fertility, and intensive cover cropping. A flock of about 180 pastured laying hens are integrated into the crop rotation.  We rely on our breeding boar and sow to turn our compost and to raise a couple of litters of hogs to butcher each year.  We also manage about 15 acres of hay and pasture land to feed our six workhorses and practice low-impact logging in the winter months.

313 East Road Adams, MA 01220

Full Well Farm is a queer owned, no-till farm in Adams owned and operated by Meg Bantle (they/she) and Laura Tupper-Palches (she/ her). They grow vegetables and cut flowers on an acre of land using a permanent bed system that focuses on soil health. They have a 65 family vegetable CSA, a 15 person seasonal flower CSA, and attend the North Adams Farmers Market. They prioritize accessibility to their produce by partnering with local non-profits, and accepting HIP/SNAP, and offering sliding-scale CSA pricing.

In our visit, we'll talk about what went into getting our farm off the ground in 2018 and take a look at what resources we utilized to apply for grants and loans that made the last four seasons possible. We’ll also talk about our current business plan, the benefits of growing high value crops like flowers and cut greens, and our community partnerships that support our business and make local food more accessible.

1210 Hancock Rd, Williamstown, MA 01267

What is soil? What defines the quality of soil? How do you determine the quality of your soil? How do you try to preserve and improve your soil? During the visit to Caretaker Farm we will discuss the importance of soil health for the sustainability of your farm. We will also tour the land and observe how our soil health fits into the environmental sustainability of the farm.

Caretaker Farm is a 34-acre diversified farm that includes a 270 family vegetable CSA, a bakery, bees, chickens, pigs, ponds, pastures, hills, forest, and a stream.

57 Jug End Rd, Great Barrington, MA 01230

Indian Line Farm grows approximately 5 acres of vegetables for our CSA, one market and a few stores and restaurants. We sell year round. We utilize 3- 30x96 greenhouses to produce heat loving crops early and to achieve winter/late fall/spring production of various greens, radishes, cilantro, scallions and carrots. The tour will include a basic introduction to the farm, greenhouse management and scheduling, grafting tomatoes, and soil health under plastic. We will also take a look at our new 8' deer exclusion fence and the economics of that investment. As this will be the first visit of the season we will also do introductions and orient all apprentices to the CRAFT program as a whole.  

24 Hulst Rd, Amherst, MA 01002

This visit will be an overview of the major areas of business management that we rely on to make our farm economically functional. We will cover planning (including budgeting), bookkeeping & accounting, marketing, insurance & administration, communication (website, email, and database). We will consider this a “survey” and give lots of information on all of these topics, but not dwell too long on any one of them. We will give out written materials to be used as reference for the meeting and for later reference. 

In addition, we will wrap up the CRAFT program for the season by having a short round-table discussion about strengths and weaknesses of the program and suggestions for improvements. We look forward to everyone attending and sharing their experiences to help improve our program.

1360 River Rd, Clarksburg, MA 01247

327 Co Rd 21C, Ghent, NY 12075

Since 1972, Hawthorne Valley has been producing high quality, Biodynamic and organic foods in upstate New York. Our Biodynamic farm includes dairy cows, vegetables, a creamery, organic bakery, sauerkraut cellar, and more. Our Farm Store is a full-line natural foods store open 7 days a week. Our farm spans 400 acres of woodlands and rolling hills, open fields and meadows, and flowing creeks and streams. We lease an additional 400 acres in the area, allowing us to produce almost of all of our own feed on farm for our cows, pigs and meat chickens. At the heart of the farm is the closed herd of cows which, to a large degree, provides the pulse for and rhythm of the adjunct operations. The cows furnish the milk for our Creamery operation, and provide, along with the other farm animals, the basis of our compost, which is essential for building soil fertility to ensure a continuous, regenerative cycle. The farm includes:  

• A 65-cow dairy herd which supplies milk to the Creamery  

• 16 acres of vegetables which support a 300-member CSA, weekly farmers markets, our farm store, internal programming meals, and wholesale accounts. 

• 50 acres of food and feed-grade small grain production  

• 40 pigs who eat the "waste" whey from the Creamery as well as food scraps 

• 2400 meat chickens raised during the pasture season on dairy pastures 

This visit will include an overview of how Hawthorne Valley incorporates Biodynamic farming techniques (which HVF has been following for over 40 years). We will examine the concept of the farm individuality, central to Biodynamic farming principle, and discuss how our different enterprises nest into one another. The practical focus will be on how composting cycles nutrients from our field crops and cow herd throughout the farm. We will discuss our production technique, and what we are looking for in our overall farm fertility management.  

95 Old Cheshire Rd, Lanesborough, MA 01237

Square Roots Farm started as a 30 member vegetable CSA on leased land with a few hundred broilers and 5 pigs.  In 2020, we’re bringing the CSA back after a two-year, baby-induced hiatus, and our livestock production has grown to include 1,000 laying hens, 7,000 broilers, 200 turkeys, 30 head of beef cattle, and 30 pigs per year, all rotated through our side hill pastures.  

In our visit, we’ll talk about the things we’ve learned along the way, the things we wish we’d done sooner, and the things we tried that never quite worked out.  We’ll dive into poultry systems and our grazing infrastructure, including permanent and temporary fencing, and water lines. We’ll visit our own Massachusetts state-licensed poultry slaughter facility, and talk about the essential equipment that makes that job efficient.  And we are happy to talk about how we started and what has guided our decisions along the way.  

60 Williamstown Rd, Lanesborough, MA 01237

No-till farming has been generating quite a bit of buzz lately. With promises to stem erosion, increase nutrient and water holding capacity, reduce weed pressure and reverse global warming, no-till could be a game-changer in how we farm. Ironically, no-till is most widely practiced in large-scale, herbicide-dependent conventional farming systems. Can no-till be successful in a small-scale organic system and, if so, what methods have proved practical?
 
We will look at the practices of occultation, solarization, roller crimping, flame weeding, mulching cover cropping, and compost application in a no-till system. We’ll also take a look at the Johnson Su Bioreactor as an innovative method of producing fungally dominant compost. Small-scale no-till tools will be demonstrated. The impacts on yields, erosion, compaction, pest and weed pressure, nutrient management, and water infiltration and conservation will be discussed. Throughout, we will provide an honest assessment of the challenges of implementing the techniques. 

1255 Oblong Rd, Williamstown, MA 01267

Cricket Creek is a grass-based dairy farm managed by a small team of collaborators.  The entire farm is comprised of about 500 acres, about 150 of which is hay fields, just over 100 is pasture, and the rest is wooded.  We are one of the oldest dairy farms in the region, but infused with new life and energy.  Our primary activity is raising dairy cows for their good milk.  Our milking herd ranges between 35 and 40 lactating animals, depending on the time of yea,r and the entire dairy herd is about 80 animals including the dry cows and young stock.  We sell raw milk from our farm and the rest of our milk we make into artisanal cheese in our farmstead creamery; in 2017 we made about 47,000 lbs of cheese.  We raise grass-fed beef and whey-fed pork.  We sell our goods through our farm store, at local farmers markets, and through various regional cheese shops, food co-ops, restaurants, and other establishments.  Our mission is to produce nourishing food that honors our animals, respects the land and feeds our community, and to exemplify a sustainable model for small-farm viability.   

Our workshop will be an overview of running a small diversified dairy farm.  We will discuss rotational grazing, dairy cow health issues, our nurse cow system, milking schedules, farmstead cheese production, raw milk and cheese marketing and sales.  We will talk about our systems for integrating other enterprises on the dairy farm.  We will share the challenges and successes financially turning around an old dairy farm and what it means to run a sustainable dairy operation.  Our current iteration of Cricket Creek is fairly new and we are relatively young farmers; we can give the perspective of a start-up business including the intricacies of getting well established and grounded with careful planning and record keeping.

Shelburne Falls Rd, Conway, MA 01341

We will discuss our use of six workhorses as the exclusive source of draft power on our farm. We will cover equipment and techniques for everything from primary tillage to bed forming, transplanting, cultivating, foliar feeding, mowing, crop harvesting, and more in the vegetable operation. We'll also touch on our process of harvesting loose hay to fuel the working herd. This visit will feature demonstrations of horsepower on a few different implements in the field. We will also discuss the use of cover crops to target a variety of goals such as improving soil structure, maintaining organic matter, controlling weeds, and creating beneficial habitat as well as our approach to managing soil fertility and plant health. Technical considerations will be shared in the context of the philosophy which shapes and guides our approach to stewarding the farm ecosystem.

Natural Roots is a horse-powered family farm in Conway, MA, operating since 1997. We raise 4 1/4 acres of produce for about 200 summer CSA shareholders and about 55 winter shares, plus our farm store and wholesale customers, and another 4 1/4 acres of soil-building crops. Many of the farm’s systems have been modeled on the work of Anne and Eric Nordell and we have a strong focus on weed control, biological fertility, and intensive cover cropping. A flock of about 180 pastured laying hens are integrated into the crop rotation.  We rely on our breeding boar and sow to turn our compost and to raise a couple of litters of hogs to butcher each year.  We also manage about 15 acres of hay and pasture land to feed our six workhorses and practice low-impact logging in the winter months.

313 East Road Adams, MA 01220

1210 Hancock Rd, Williamstown, MA 01267

What is soil? What defines the quality of soil? How do you determine the quality of your soil? How do you try to preserve and improve your soil? During the visit to Caretaker Farm we will discuss the importance of soil health for the sustainability of your farm. We will also tour the land and observe how our soil health fits into the environmental sustainability of the farm.

Caretaker Farm is a 34-acre diversified farm that includes a 270 family vegetable CSA, a bakery, bees, chickens, pigs, ponds, pastures, hills, forest, and a stream.

57 Jug End Rd, Great Barrington, MA 01230

Indian Line Farm grows approximately 5 acres of vegetables for our CSA, one market and a few stores and restaurants. We sell year round. We utilize 3- 30x96 greenhouses to produce heat loving crops early and to achieve winter/late fall/spring production of various greens, radishes, cilantro, scallions and carrots. The tour will include a basic introduction to the farm, greenhouse management and scheduling, grafting tomatoes, and soil health under plastic. We will also take a look at our new 8' deer exclusion fence and the economics of that investment. As this will be the first visit of the season we will also do introductions and orient all apprentices to the CRAFT program as a whole.  

24 Hulst Rd, Amherst, MA 01002

This visit will be an overview of the major areas of business management that we rely on to make our farm economically functional. We will cover planning (including budgeting), bookkeeping & accounting, marketing, insurance & administration, communication (website, email, and database). We will consider this a “survey” and give lots of information on all of these topics, but not dwell too long on any one of them. We will give out written materials to be used as reference for the meeting and for later reference.

In addition, we will wrap up the CRAFT program for the season by having a short round-table discussion about strengths and weaknesses of the program and suggestions for improvements. We look forward to everyone attending and sharing their experiences to help improve our program.

127 Sister Hill Rd, Stanfordville, NY 12581

The key to making a good living in farming is to develop effective systems. On my farm tour I will show you the tools and infrastructure that I have designed and created that make running a farm manageable, pleasant, fun, and efficient.

Our farm tour focus will be on two systems; mechanical cultivation and infrastructure. With regard to weed control I’ll share how we plant precisely without a transplanter.  How we mark a grid on our beds with a IH Cub tractor; how we transplant and direct seed into those beds by hand, and how we cultivate them with a Buddingh Basket Weeder. I’ll also show you how we tackle in-row cultivation using our Planet Jr two wheel tractor and homemade three row finger weeders.  

With regard to infrastructure you'll see our loading dock and produce washing station, including our root washer and our pressure washer-based set-up for cleaning harvest bins and bunched roots.  I’ll also demonstrate how we use our mini pallets and macrobins, electronic pallet scale, ergonomic height adjustable wash tank, and our cooler. To give you a sense of our size and scale; we grow strictly for CSA, I train three full season apprentices, and we grow about 250 full weekly shares on 5 acres with no double cropping. Most years we harvest around 90,000 pounds of veggies for our members.

327 Co Rd 21C, Ghent, NY 12075

Since 1972, Hawthorne Valley has been producing high quality, Biodynamic and organic foods in upstate New York. Our Biodynamic farm includes dairy cows, vegetables, a creamery, organic bakery, sauerkraut cellar, and more. Our Farm Store is a full-line natural foods store open 7 days a week. Our farm spans 400 acres of woodlands and rolling hills, open fields and meadows, and flowing creeks and streams. We lease an additional 300 acres in the area. At the heart of the farm is the closed herd of cows which, to a large degree, provides the pulse for and rhythm of the adjunct operations. The cows furnish the milk for our Creamery operation; prescribe, to some extent, the cover and feed crops grown to nourish them and the horses, pigs, and laying hens; and provide, along with the other farm animals, the basis of our compost, which is essential for building soil fertility to ensure a continuous, regenerative cycle. The farm includes: 

• A 55-cow dairy herd which supplies milk to the Creamery 

• 12 acres of vegetables which support a 300-member CSA, weekly farmers markets and wholesale accounts.

• The 2.5 acre Corner Garden which provides produce for Farm Store and departments and programs across campus 

• 60 acres of food and feed-grade small grain production 

• 20 pigs who eat the "waste" whey from the Creamery 

This visit will include an overview of how Hawthorne Valley incorporates Biodynamic farming techniques (which HVF has been following for over 40 years). We will also explain and tour our compost operation from which we annually produce 400 tons of high-quality fertilizer to be spread onto our vegetable, grain, hay, and grazing fields (pastures). We are further implementing a hot control fermentation process using the bedded pack from our manure shed, front-end loader created and turned windrows, biodynamic preparations, and fabric windrow covers. 

313 East Road Adams, MA 01220

95 Old Cheshire Rd, Lanesborough, MA 01237

Square Roots Farm started as a 30 member vegetable CSA on leased land with a few hundred broilers and 5 pigs.  In 2020, we’re bringing the CSA back after a two-year, baby-induced hiatus, and our livestock production has grown to include 1,000 laying hens, 7,000 broilers, 200 turkeys, 30 head of beef cattle, and 30 pigs per year, all rotated through our side hill pastures.  

In our visit, we’ll talk about the things we’ve learned along the way, the things we wish we’d done sooner, and the things we tried that never quite worked out.  We’ll dive into poultry systems and our grazing infrastructure, including permanent and temporary fencing, and water lines. We’ll visit our own Massachusetts state-licensed poultry slaughter facility, and talk about the essential equipment that makes that job efficient.  And we are happy to talk about how we started and what has guided our decisions along the way.  

60 Williamstown Rd, Lanesborough, MA 01237

No-till farming has been generating quite a bit of buzz lately. With promises to stem erosion, increase nutrient and water holding capacity, reduce weed pressure and reverse global warming, no-till could be a game-changer in how we farm. Ironically, no-till is most widely practiced in large-scale, herbicide-dependent conventional farming systems. Can no-till be successful in a small-scale organic system and, if so, what methods have proved practical?
 
We will look at the practices of occultation, solarization, roller crimping, flame weeding, mulching cover cropping, and compost application in a no-till system. We’ll also take a look at the Johnson Su Bioreactor as an innovative method of producing fungally dominant compost. Small-scale no-till tools will be demonstrated. The impacts on yields, erosion, compaction, pest and weed pressure, nutrient management, and water infiltration and conservation will be discussed. Throughout, we will provide an honest assessment of the challenges of implementing the techniques. 

1255 Oblong Rd, Williamstown, MA 01267

Cricket Creek is a grass-based dairy farm managed by a small team of collaborators.  The entire farm is comprised of about 500 acres, about 150 of which is hay fields, just over 100 is pasture, and the rest is wooded.  We are one of the oldest dairy farms in the region, but infused with new life and energy.  Our primary activity is raising dairy cows for their good milk.  Our milking herd ranges between 35 and 40 lactating animals, depending on the time of yea,r and the entire dairy herd is about 80 animals including the dry cows and young stock.  We sell raw milk from our farm and the rest of our milk we make into artisanal cheese in our farmstead creamery; in 2017 we made about 47,000 lbs of cheese.  We raise grass-fed beef and whey-fed pork.  We sell our goods through our farm store, at local farmers markets, and through various regional cheese shops, food co-ops, restaurants, and other establishments.  Our mission is to produce nourishing food that honors our animals, respects the land and feeds our community, and to exemplify a sustainable model for small-farm viability.   

Our workshop will be an overview of running a small diversified dairy farm.  We will discuss rotational grazing, dairy cow health issues, our nurse cow system, milking schedules, farmstead cheese production, raw milk and cheese marketing and sales.  We will talk about our systems for integrating other enterprises on the dairy farm.  We will share the challenges and successes financially turning around an old dairy farm and what it means to run a sustainable dairy operation.  Our current iteration of Cricket Creek is fairly new and we are relatively young farmers; we can give the perspective of a start-up business including the intricacies of getting well established and grounded with careful planning and record keeping.

Shelburne Falls Rd, Conway, MA 01341

We will discuss our use of six workhorses as the exclusive source of draft power on our farm. We will cover equipment and techniques for everything from primary tillage to bed forming, transplanting, cultivating, foliar feeding, mowing, crop harvesting, and more in the vegetable operation. We'll also touch on our process of harvesting loose hay to fuel the working herd. This visit will feature demonstrations of horsepower on a few different implements in the field. We will also discuss the use of cover crops to target a variety of goals such as improving soil structure, maintaining organic matter, controlling weeds, and creating beneficial habitat as well as our approach to managing soil fertility and plant health. Technical considerations will be shared in the context of the philosophy which shapes and guides our approach to stewarding the farm ecosystem.

Natural Roots is a horse-powered family farm in Conway, MA, operating since 1997. We raise 4 1/4 acres of produce for about 200 summer CSA shareholders and about 55 winter shares, plus our farm store and wholesale customers, and another 4 1/4 acres of soil-building crops. Many of the farm’s systems have been modeled on the work of Anne and Eric Nordell and we have a strong focus on weed control, biological fertility, and intensive cover cropping. A flock of about 180 pastured laying hens are integrated into the crop rotation.  We rely on our breeding boar and sow to turn our compost and to raise a couple of litters of hogs to butcher each year.  We also manage about 15 acres of hay and pasture land to feed our six workhorses and practice low-impact logging in the winter months.

3842 NY 2, Cropseyville NY 12052

The land that hosts Laughing Earth has been in continuous agricultural production for at least 200 years. Just prior to our tenure here, it was Homestead Farms from 1993 until we bought the farm in 2016. During the Homestead Farms years, it took the general shape that it still has today, with a ~90-family summer CSA, pastured hens, broilers, pigs, and turkeys, and cut flowers. We have since increased the size of all of these ventures, at least modestly. In 2021 we will have 120 member families in the summer CSA, plus a 50-member spring share and 30 or so families for our winter share, around $10k in sales of cut flowers, about 2,500 broilers, 175 turkeys, 25 summer pigs, and 300 laying hens. We work to grow healthy food for people across all income levels in our community in a restorative, practical, and sustainable way.  We are also constantly working to improve the efficiency and profitability of our operations, testing out and discarding or expanding new ventures, and generally trying to find a way to farm that works for us, physically, mentally, and financially.

Our visit will include an overview of the farm with a deeper dive into those enterprises that are newer or that we have changed substantially since taking over. We will discuss marketing, holistic management techniques, and tools we use to determine if an enterprise will be financially feasible.