Agricultural Fields

After three years of allowing the field to remain fallow, in 2019 we began farming again on 5 acres of our 166-acre property. In 2020, we expanded to 10 acres under production, allowing us to expand our Pick-Your-Own CSA, continue to grow for local food pantries, Saratoga area restaurants and institutions, and to supply school districts in Saratoga Springs, Corinth, Galway, and Schuylerville with local produce under the State’s Farm to School program.

As the farm operation grows and evolves, we aim to test and use organic and sustainable practices as described below.

• Cover Crops - Cover crops are one of our farmer’s favorite ways to add organic material to the soil. The cover crops grown in the past include sudangrass, buckwheat, field peas, oats, winter rye, and red clover. Cover crops discourage weed seeds from sprouting, which saves in labor and cultivation. Moreover, they fix nitrogen in the soil, conserve water, and build up the organic matter in the soil over time. They are a great tool for prepping a field for the future, and resting a field after it has been used. We use organic cover crop seed from Lakeview Organic Grain Company in Penn Yan, NY and Johnny’s Seed Company.
• Organic Pest Control - We use only organic certified sprays in our field, and only when we have a pest issue. Inputs and fertilizers other than the compost made at the farm also all fall under organic standards.
• No-Till Methods - Research has shown that tilling (either to remove weeds or break new ground) has a negative effect on the soil, destroying the vital microbes that improve soil quality. In 2020, we invested in farm implements that allowed us to decrease the amount of tillage for certain crops. This experiment requires us to scale-up a method which has primarily been used on home gardens and on smaller farms.