Grass roots
“There’s a whole sustainable style of agriculture based on grass-fed beef,” says Larry Lampman of Fox Hill Farm in Ancramdale. “Soil is our most important natural resource, and grass holds the soil. Grass grows in places that row crops can’t.” Since 1999, he has used no herbicides, pesticides, or commercial fertilizer, but he too says he has no interest in getting certified as organic. Lampman offers whole, half, and quarter animals as well as cuts. His preferred format is “cowpooling” where families combine funds and buy a live beast. Once the purchase is made, the animal is the property of the buyers, and Lampman is then legally able to kill it on his property. “It’s happy one minute, dead the next,” he says, emphasizing that this is by far the most humane method of slaughter, since there’s no transportation or disruption of the animal’s regular routine.
At $3-per-pound hanging weight (the skinned, headless carcass) plus another dollar per pound for processing and Cryovac packaging, a 650-pound steer from Fox Hill will cost $2,600. Split four ways, a family can stock up on a year’s worth of beef for $650. At this juncture it’s worth mentioning that for those with some space, a chest freezer can have a very positive impact on one’s annual food bills. Buying in bulk direct from the farm is the best way to bring the price of good meat down to a point where it can begin to compete with supermarket offerings, thus making it available to more people and helping to compensate for the massive subsidies that industrially produced meat enjoys. Despite frequent recalls, contamination scares, and the clear inferiority of the product from both a health and flavor perspective, the market remains severely skewed in favor of the very worst methods.
Some animals are more equal than others
There are industrial dairies in our area; local milk does not always mean humanely raised. Brooks Farm in Stone Ridge is selling raw milk by the half gallon to about 300 regular customers, who bring their own jars at milking time or drop off empties and pick them up full later on. Hawthorne Valley farm in Ghent also sells raw milk as well as yogurt, quark (curd cheese), and cheeses. Scott Brooks of Brooks Farm says that the demand for their milk is such that they will be increasing their herd of Holsteins from 52 to 80 or more over the course of this year and plan to start selling raw milk cheeses as well.
Many of these farms also raise poultry and sell eggs as well. As with organic, the designation “free-range” is misleading; it means that the birds have access to some small outdoor space, but not that they actually use it. What matters is that the chickens actually live and scratch outside in grass like they’re supposed to, eating insects and worms along with their feed. Eggs from such birds are things of beauty, with gorgeous orange yolks and firm whites that stand up proudly when cracked into a skillet. Small farms also help to keep heritage breeds of birds and pigs alive; as with heirloom vegetables, these types have superior taste and distinct individual characteristics. Heritage pork in particular has beautiful, thick white fat where factory-raised breeds have little, and thus little flavor. More than a few farms also grow and sell vegetables, making for one-stop shopping in season. Savvy home gardeners know that a friendly farmer nearby means a source for manure, and thus for the very best compost.
If you ask any of our local farmers, we are blessed to live in this part of the world. Our soil is excellent, and our grass is as good or better than anywhere. In 16 months of writing this section, I have not met a more dedicated, passionate, and articulate group of people than the farmers who raise animals for us to eat. And they are all over the Hudson Valley; chances are good that you live a short drive from one or more of these farms. Cedar Hill Farm’s Eschbach asks: “We all have a mechanic and a dentist. Wouldn’t it be great if we all had a farmer, too?”
RESOURCES
Awesome Farm, Tivoli (beef, lamb): www.awesomefarmny.com
Barr Vista Farm, Willow (beef, eggs): (845) 679-2776
Bettinger Bluff Farm, Pine Bush (beef): www.bettingerbluff.com
Brooks Farm, Stone Ridge (raw milk): (845) 687-4074
Brookside Farm, Gardiner (beef, pork, chicken, eggs): www.brookside-farm.com
Brykill Farm, Gardiner (beef): www.brykillfarm.com
Cedar Hill Farm, Amenia (beef): (845) 242-1788
Four Winds Farm, Gardiner (beef, lamb, pork, turkey, chicken): http://users.bestweb.net/~fourwind/index.html
Fox Hill Farm, Ancramdale (beef): www.foxhillfarmgrassfedbeef.com
Full Moon Farm, New Paltz (beef, lamb, pork, chicken): www.fullmoonfarmny.com
Gansevoort Farm, Germantown (beef, lamb): (518) 537-4668
Gippert’s Farm, Saugerties (chicken, turkeys, pork, eggs): (845) 247-9479
Hawthorne Valley Farm, Ghent (raw milk, dairy products): www.hawthornevalleyfarm.org
Hickory Field Farm, Slate Hill (beef, chicken, eggs): www.hickoryfieldfarm.blogspot.com
Kezialain Farm, Westtown (beef): www.kezialain.com
Kiernan Farm, Gardiner (beef): www.kiernanfarm.com
Kinderhook Farm, Valatie (beef, eggs): www.kinderhookfarm.com
Midsummer Farm, Warwick (eggs): www.midsummerfarm.com
Movable Beast Farm, Accord (beef): (845) 626-2790
Northwind Farms, Tivoli (beef, pork, chicken, turkey): www.northwindfarmsallnatural.com
Pathfinder Farms, Catskill (beef): www.pathfinderfarms.com
Sepascot Home Farm, Rhinebeck (beef, pork, eggs): (845) 876-5840
Temple Farm, Millbrook (beef): (845) 677-8757
Veritas Farms, Esopus (beef, pork, chicken, duck, eggs): www.veritasfarms.com
