Hi everyone! I’m Nick, and I’m excited to be part of this community. I’d love for us all to get to know each other a bit better and help build community around Northeast livestock farming. To kick things off, let’s do a quick introduction and answer an icebreaker question.
If you don’t mind sharing tell us a little bit about yourself, what animals you raise and what your favorite book around farming, food, agriculture, etc is.
I’ll go first: I’m Nick Weinstok with BOTL Farm in the Northeast corner of Connecticut. I’m a first generation farmer. I started my career as construction project manager building commercial office space. I have been passionate about food and cooking since college. In 2013 I fell in love with sustainable farming and decided the best way to get high quality food is to grow it myself. In 2017 I quit my day job and started farming full time. The farm focuses on pasture raised pigs, but we also raise goats and laying hens. All Animal Welfare Approved.
One of my favorite books is The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan. This was a life changer and really got me on track to farm the way I currently am farming. I reread the book every few years and fall in love all over again.
I’m looking forward to building this community together!
My name is Jefferson, on my farm The GOOD Farm I raise pastured broiler chickens (Cornish Rock X), Midget White turkeys, Katahdin and Southdown sheep, some American Guinea Hogs as well as some landscaping Nigerian Dwarf Goats and a mixed flock of egg layers.
I came to farming via permaculture which I spent about 5 years studying and researching before jumping into agriculture. I started farming in Colorado working on a diversified veggie farm on 6 acres. One season of veggie production was enough for me to decide to move towards animal production and when a local non-profit started a poultry slaughter facility, I managed to lease 3 acres of steep, poison ivy covered pasture where I started farming.
My first several years I mostly wholesaled chickens to local restaurants and over the next decade added turkeys, hogs and sheep to my operation, started selling portioned chickens directly to consumers at the local farmers market and added a commercial kitchen space where I was able to do value added processing of my meats via the retail exemption. My wife and I moved to a property in Columbia, CT in 2023 and most of my farm products are sold through the food trailer I operate, Twin Beaks Fried Chicken.
I’ve always had a focus on the soil and our management of the land reflects that. We move our chickens and turkeys daily, move our sheep twice daily and our hogs and goats on a weekly basis (they are used mostly to keep the edges of our pasture in check).
One of my favorite books is Edible Forest Gardens by David Jacke. A 2 volume set, these books work through options for permaculture installations in cool temperate parts of the world like ours. With a focus on resiliency, plenty of planting and plant details as well as case studies it’s a great book about forests that can feed us.
Hi all! Anna Cerqueira here from Flat Hill Farm. We have historically raised herefords and sold hay, but added broilers and turkeys a few years ago. My 6 month old farmhand-in-training is the fifth generation on this land (8th in our hometown), so our roots run deep here. My husband and I moved back full-time last year. As I get more involved in the day-to-day farm operations, we’re looking to integrate more regenerative practices and improve the overall quality of our meat.
I’ll second Nick’s favorite book (The Omnivore’s Dilemma), but add that, if you’re looking for a good laugh with a sassy older garden lady, anything written by Ruth Stout is worth the read!
Hi folks! I’m Jenn from Howling Wolf Farm in Vermont. We raise sheep (and sometimes pigs) on a steep (!) hill farm in Vermont and host farmstays because we love to travel the world through the visitors that join us. I’m a returning-generation farmer (skipped two generations in my family) who gained a lot of experience by messing things up on my own farm and going to pasture workshops through my longtime job with UVM Extension. Now I lead the Northeast Pasture Consortium and host the Choosing to Farm podcast, because connecting farmers to one another in order to help us all be successful and have quality of life are essential to my personal WHY.
Always looking for new podcast guests…everyone has a story to share! <3
I am excited to e-meet you all and to be involved with this community (Thank you to Nick at BOTL Farm for getting this off the ground)!
My name is MacKenzie White and I have been involved with agriculture in some way, shape, or form since birth. Growing up on a small farm in southern Maine is where the passion and interest for livestock and production agriculture started.
Currently, I am located in the Quiet Corner of Eastern Connecticut with my fiance and our growing family. Along with our extended family we own a mixed herd of registered and commercial beef cows. We also cut about 200 acres of hay for both feed for our animals and a few local customers.
In November 1st, I joined UConn Extension as the Diversified Livestock Extension Field Based Specialist. My fairly new role with UConn Extension involves planning, implementing, and evaluating impactful extension programs primarily related to commercial livestock production. Livestock species include but are not limited to beef, sheep, swine and goats.
Ahoy there from north central CT! We are Jess and Dave on a historic sheep farm, in the family since 1832 near the confluence of the Connecticut and Scantic Rivers. We breed primarily for wool quality with Corriedale, Lincoln Longwool and Romney crosses. Hildred’s Farm products are blankets, sheepskins, wool pellets, raw fleece, felted shoe inserts, yarn, mutton and lamb. And now famous and beloved sheep calendars. Historically we’ve been engaged in improving this 150-acre farm with regenerative farming practices but now they have a name in building silvopasture, soil health and rotational grazing.
Besides sheep farming, we’re looking into improving our composting operation (sheep manure = black gold) and last summer welcomed a livestock guardian dog to the farm, a Maremma Sheepdog who has mostly been a blessing.
No time for books right now as we both have demanding off-farm work in the audio and video production realms. Happy to network with like-minded farmers in the region!
welcome. I am into permaculture as well, and back in the day was part of CGPublishings team when we brought out Edible Forest Gardens. It is so neat to see it working in the world.
Hello everyone,
Niko with Shire Beef LLC here. www.shirebeef.com
Over the last decade, we have morphed through all iterations of livestock farming, or so it seems. Cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, and back to only cattle. Now, just contract grazing for replacement heifers and beef stockers.
We are in the high country in VT at 1800ft elevation and manage around 80 acres of total pasture land, down from over 300 acres at some point. Part-time farming only now, I am teaching construction management at VTSU. Also am an admin for our local Upper Valley listservs and have been active in the NGO farming scene for a long time (White River NRCD, Vermont Grass Farmers), but now only on the North East Pasture Consortium board.
I am looking forward to the lively exchanges here.
Love that book and Chelsea Green, every time my wife wants to plant out a bunch of berries I grab it and we start planning what things will look like instead of just sticking things in the ground
Im new to farming , haven’t grown a crop yet, but started riding horses and learning anything I can related to cowboys and ranching. I’m in the process of obtaining property so I can be a First Generation Farmer/Rancher of my family.
I live in Boston,Ma and currently on a Journey to Learn more horsemanship, Regenerative farm practices, Livestock care and more throughout New England. In a perfect world I would be ranching cattle but since I’m not out west, I’m just trying to get hands on experience with a variety of livestock ,Western Ranch mentors and business mentors. My goal is to contribute and be part of Community. I don’t have a specific book just yet but I’m eager to find one
Hi Jenn, nice to meet another podcaster! I’d love to trade podcast guesting with you… mine is Women in Food… let’s connect outside this forum? [email protected]
Hi Everyone!
I’m Missy of Crown Hill Farm in Eden, NY (just outside of Buffalo). In terms of livestock, I raise heritage chickens, ducks and geese for soy-free pasture-raised eggs and a mix of Border Leicester and Shetland Sheep for fiber which I hand dye with natural dye made mostly from my gardens. In addition, I grow heirloom vegetables in my no-till gardens and host a variety of educational and food related events. My favorite book (there’s so many) but two right now:
An Everlasting Meal by Tamar Adler
and
Farmacology by Daphne Miller, MD
those are two I return to time andagain.
For inspiration, I also love love love these two:
Letters to a Young Farmer
Buffalo Bird Woman’s Garden by Gilbert L Wilson
Hello- Julie Noble here, currently managing Full Moon Farm in Gardiner NY- we have 160 head of Red Devon, Black Angus, and Red Angus cows. 100% grass fed and finished. Seasonally raise pastured pork and lamb. On site farm store open 24/7 with over 85 different cuts.
I read fast food nation as a young adult and it got me to be thinking about food for the 1st time and became a vegetarian. My favorite book is the Ursula Le Guin translation of the Tao Te Ching. Some pods I love are “A taste of the past” , “Seeds and their People”, “Gastronomica”, “ATTRA- voices from the field”. I’m way into food and love working with chefs. I do a lot of fermentation at home and am pretty loosey goosey about it all, I hate rules.
Farming for 14 years now, I used to have a veggie farm and hope one day to have my own farm growing seeds. I’m stewarding some really rad crosses and hope to develop some more funky fruits in the future---->looking for a run down farm to buy in the NE, keep me in the loop - it’s my 5 year plan.
I’ve worked in dairy, cheese, bees, seeds, herbs, flowers. I’ve farmed in oregon, california, oklahoma- from the hudson valley - happy to be back in my home. I’m the kind of person who wants to know it all. I consider myself a “connector” and so happy to be in community with y’all.
I have a working Border Collie named Rebar. Thank you Nick!
Hey y’all - I’m Paul. I run a too-diversified farm in Grafton, MA. We have a small herd of low-line angus/beltie crosses, a couple (hopefully) breeder gilts, and I do broilers and layers seasonally, along with a small veggie CSA. First generation farmer, 8 or so years in. As for books, I’m going to third Omnivore’s Dilemma - it and a study abroad in Costa Rica eventually led me to the pursuit of good food and thus to farming.
I’m Neal Tilhou. I work as a Research Geneticist (AKA a plant breeder) with the USDA . I work in the niche of breeding new perennial forage and cover crops. I work as an analyst out of the Boston area. No animals but I work on larger projects on improved red clover, alfalfa (hay and grazing types), cover crops (hairy vetch, fava beans, some crimson clover), and pasture grasses. I have a particular soft spot for grazing native prairie grasses, but they seem pretty rare in the Northeast.
Favorite book is Sand County Almanac. Nice to hear about everyone’s operation.
Good Morning Everyone,
I’m Aaron the Director of Operations at Steadfast Farms in Bethlehem, CT.
I know Nick from BOLT and Jake at BAV and loved seeing the invite to another Forum to get to know my fellow Northeast Farmers.
My brother started Steadfast Farms 9 years ago to raise gamebirds after finding a passion for the comradery between dog and trainer that mirrored his days in the Marine Corps. I joined full time in 2023 and its been a wild ride since then transforming and expanding our offerings.
We Raise 15,000 Gamebirds Seasonally for Rod and Gun clubs and the general public as well as some New England state contracts, Pheasant, Chukar Partridge, and Bobwhite Quail. Year round we raise a meat and egg Coturnix Quail. This year we will add raising our 3000 of our own meat chickens and several hundred Turkey.
We are NPIP certified and maintain a Gamebird licenses with DEEP.
In 2023 we open CT’s only USDA inspected poultry slaughter facility and continue to expand the offerings for Farms across New England for Poultry Slaughter and Processing. Including certifications by AGW for animal welfare approved humane slaughter and a pending organic processing certification hopefully in May of this year.
Its been the best decision of my life to give up suits and corporate America for farming with my brother. We get to problem solve and innovate every day. Meeting other amazing farmers and talking about the crazy things we do to keep the world eating.
One of our favorite motivational speeches was by Eric Thomas and its worth your 15 min to watch it here. On those hard to keep going day or early mornings for the 147th in a row we throw this video on and pump our selves up to keep it going.
I look forward to sharing and meeting more of you.
God Bless
Hi all, Don from Hampton CT.(The quiet corner area). My wife and I live on 10 acres, some cleared; gardens, pasture and woods.
I’m a certified Conn. Nurserymen, Vol. Firemen, and horticultureist. I have a BS in Cytogenetics from UConn. Currently I work for CT DOT.
I’ve been gardening since I could walk. Was a teamster for about 12 years. Driving a variety of breeds, and a number of activities; sleigh rides Wedding s, funerals, Holiday rides and haunted hay rides to name a few. I raised lowline Angus for a few years with my neighbor. My wife had chickens for a number of years and bees for a few years. And I have had sheep for 10 years; started with Finns, and now have texel-chivot cross.
My wife is going to start up again with two hives this spring!
I don’t do much reading, Outdoors as much as possible. I like playing around with dousing too.
Still in the process of clearing land and making pasture! Growing fruit trees and blueberries, and usually have a good crop of mixed veggies.
Hey all! Name is Dennis and I am owner/operator of Slate Hill Cattle Company in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. We raise primarily the Pinzgauer breed of cattle, but also have a few others we use for crossbreeding and such. We sell our beef and byproducts, as well as stocker/feeder calves to other local ranchers. We also link up with other farmers and offer their products at our farm stand and on our online store.
I am not a native New Englander and grew up on big cattle ranches in Oklahoma, but ended up here after my time in the military. Looking forward to meeting/chatting with you all and learning more about the various ranches and farms around the region. Slate Hill Cattle Company
My names Annie. I farm at Sweet & Salty Farm in Little Compton, a small scale dairy/cheese making operation and run the programs for the Young Farmer Network of SE New England. My personal love and interest is researching native hedge row planting around farm fields for fodder and wild life habitat.
I have a pup named Ralph and enjoy connecting with other growers in the area Always down to help host meet-ups and spread the word amongst the growers/farmers in our community!
