News Archives - Northeast Farm Access

Spring 2018 Update: Farmers in Full Gear

May 17, 2018 Leave a Comment

Though the weather tried for the longest time to insist otherwise, another spring is finally here, and all of NEFA’s projects—and more important, its farmer lessees—are in high gear. So much to update you on (and don’t miss the links to all our farmers on Instagram at the very end, where you can follow them and track their progress all season long):

At Copake Agricultural Center, Copake NY

Farmers at NEFA’s first agricultural center celebrated four years on the land in March. The project has proven to be the kind of fertile ground we’d hoped, as each of our inaugural farms has grown and evolved—sometimes in ways we could not even have imagined.

Tiny Hearts Farm

Jenny Elliott and Luke Franco, the flower specialists of Tiny Hearts Farm, have not just 15 acres under lease, including a bigger-than-ever new greenhouse, but just opened a showroom and studio in nearby Hillsdale. Hundreds of people attended their May 5 grand opening.

The new space, created for them by Matthew White of Hillsdale General Store and HGS Home Chef, will support their wedding-flower business in particular. It will also be the location for their floral classes and other special events, and serve as a weekly pickup location for their fast-growing flower CSA. (More on their CSA at this link on the Tiny Hearts website.)

Plus: The next member of the Tiny Hearts family, joining Luke, Jenny and young George, is due in June. What a year for Tiny Hearts.

Mx Morningstar Farm

Max Morningstar and Maria Zordan are the faces of MX Morningstar Farm (above), a 60-acre farm growing certified organic vegetables for wholesale and restaurant customers in the Hudson Valley, New York City, Berkshire, Litchfield, and Westchester county areas.

The farm specializes in the production of root crops, squash, potatoes and sweet potatoes, and sells produce year-round. As well as wholesale and restaurant sales, the farm also attends the Great Barrington Farmers Market in Berkshire County, Massachusetts.

Originally a CSA and retail-focused business, MX Morningstar Farm has streamlined production and marketing techniques over the last four (going on five!) seasons to focus on a core group of crops that can be kept in storage facilities and sold year-round. The farm believes in valuing all aspects of the operation equally. From the product to the soil to the farmer’s life quality.

“Though many things have changed over the years in Copake,” says Max, “the values that make the farm what it is remain the same.”

Max and Maria’s many friends in the Hudson Valley-Berkshire community are also thrilled at the recent announcement of their engagement to be married.

Sparrow Arc Farm

Matt and Heather Linehan of Sparrow Arc Farm, who have transitioned to farming on even larger acreage than ever adjacent to the Copake Ag Center they helped establish, just closed on and moved into their own home, a sign that they are literally invested in the community that NEFA introduced them to.

The Belt Farm, on the hillside

One of NEFA’s investors in both the Copake and Esopus centers, Farmland Preservation LLC, has purchased the 70-acre hilltop Belt Farm at Copake from NEFA.

“We’re engaged in setting up a vision and plan for this special property,” says Dominik Eckenstein, founder of Farmland Preservation. “Two young farmers have joined us for small-scale production and general help on the land.”

Babacar Kebe (who worked last year on the Belt Farm land) and Meagan Callahan of Catkin Farm (also part of the MX Morningstar crew) are settling in happily, and recruiting of more farmers with NEFA’s help is under way.

Borough Mushrooms

Jonathan Sadlowe of Borough Mushrooms is the newest lessee at Copake, with plans to produce varieties that will include shiitake, maitake and oyster mushrooms there.

“By May we were in the final buildout construction phase at Borough Mushrooms,” Jonathan reports. “We are ramping up the production side of the business, and looking forward to producing mushrooms later this summer. It’s been a great six months since moving the operation to Copake, and we hope we can have a positive impact in the community and region.”

At Esopus Agricultural Center, in Ulster

So much activity at Kingston: Renovations of the shared farmhouse and garage have been mostly completed, and various land improvements, such as increased irrigation and power, are also under way. Adding cold storage and also wash-pack facilities are coming into view, too.

An exciting partnership with ChoShields Studio architecture firm and Walter Cudnohufsky Associates, Inc. landscape architects and planners is enabling Esopus to lay out a master plan, aimed to determine the best land uses and ways to further develop its infrastructure.

In mid-May, as part of NEFA’s agroecology efforts, Esopus supporters, community members and farmers gathered for a meal and to sow buckwheat (photo above) on a recently cleaned-up and disced field that is the focus of revitalization effort this year at Old Chambers Farm.

Alewife Farm

Tyler Dennis’s Alewife Farm is thriving on its 48 acres at Esopus, up from 31 in 2017, already reaping the benefits of ambitious cover-cropping efforts and also harvesting an impressive crop of peas (above) in May from transplants grown in his high tunnels.

“Though we’re growing mostly the same vegetable crops as in 2017,” says Tyler, “we are doing more of everything, especially carrots.” He’s planning for 8 acres of fall carrots (up from 4 last year), for example.

Seed Song Farm

Creek Iversen at Seed Song Farm continues to engage the local community and connect them to the Esopus land in various ways, from his annual seedling sales to summer camp sessions for children and more.

New Farmers

Allora Farm and Flowers’ Amanda Kingsley is subleasing from Seed Song this year, and plans to lease 8 acres starting next, for heritage herbs and more to sell to local stores and restaurants.

Ever-Growing Family Farm will lease 4 acres this year for a first planting of several varieties of rice on wetlands adjacent to the Resource Protection Area.

Monadnock Agricultural Center, New Hampshire

MAC was established in 2017 to purchase Maple Homestead Farm, in the Town of Marlborough, New Hampshire, the first of several planned acquisitions.

Maple Homestead, with a rich history, has 135 acres of fields, woodlands, views, and 1,200 feet on Spectacle Pond, plus some of the finest agricultural soils in the area. A conservation easement for agricultural use is already in place for a portion of the farm, and NEFA is working with the Monadnock Conservancy to expand the easement on most of the remaining 82 acres.

On the lower fields, we plan limited development with several small green-design houses around a restorative agricultural landscape. Bridging the two farm areas is diversified farming, a center for our agroecology work, Tisané’s herb and food farming, plus artist residencies in four-season farm cabins, the carriage barn and farmhouse. We can research and learn from our agroecology work and share that research with the broader organic community.

Follow our Farmers on Instagram

Tiny Hearts Farm
Mx Morningstar Farm
Tyler Dennis/Alewife Farm
Creek Iversen/Seed Song Farm
Borough Mushrooms
Catkin Farm (on the Belt Hillside)
Allora Farm and Flowers
Ever-Growing Family Farm (on Facebook)
NEFA on Instagram

2 New Hudson Valley Projects Near Esopus Ag Center Added by NEFA

July 10, 2017 Leave a Comment

NEFA has announced two new projects in Kerhonksen, New York: the Maybrook Hotel (pictured above), to be used for farmworker housing and other purposes, and the 200-acre Arrowhead Farm. The proximity of both these properties to our Esopus Agricultural Center near Kingston increases the opportunities we can offer to support organic farming in this important Hudson Valley region. More about each:

Maybrook Hotel, for Farmworker Housing and More

In partnership with key investors, NEFA has purchased and begun renovations of the Maybrook Hotel, located in Kerhonkson, New York, one mile from the Arrowhead Farm, off of Route 209.

This 15-acre property with seven buildings is a critical piece in the work to create access to farmland by creating access to affordable housing within close proximity to the land.

The developing plan for this property is to not only create affordable housing stock, but also to leverage the meeting spaces and grounds to have common space for events and other activities connected with community and sustainable agriculture. In spring 2017, three months after closing and some considerable renovations, farm-worker families and individuals are currently living at the lodge, and there is genuine excitement around leveraging the space from community members.

Arrowhead Farm (in Development)

Northeast Farm Access, working with lead investors, is in contract to purchase the Arrowhead Farm (above), located in in the Rondout Valley on Route 209 in Kerhonkson, New York. This important third-generation family farm is a critical addition to NEFA’s work to date to expand access to mid-scale organic agriculture in the Hudson Valley.

The plan in development for this 200-plus-acre property is to transition to organic while bringing in farmer operators for a range of mixed-use activities, from haying to livestock to vegetables and of course the continued production of maple syrup. For the 2017 growing season, we are working with the current owner and farmer planting organic cover crops using organic practices.

The Arrowhead property will contribute to creating a critical mass of farmland toward our agroecology program, building and studying healthy on-farm ecosystems.

For more information about either project or other NEFA efforts, contact Bob Bernstein at (603) 209-2000, or email bob [at] nefarmaccess [dot] com.

NEFA Developing Monadnock Agricultural Center in New Hampshire

July 10, 2017 Leave a Comment

In early 2017, Northeast Farm Access (NEFA) entered into a contract to purchase Hank Kenney’s Maple Homestead Farm in Marlborough, New Hampshire, closing in summer 2017.

Maple Homestead Farm is one of a few remaining working farms in the Monadnock region, where land pricing makes it hard for farmers to purchase a “mid-scale farm” with so much acreage. We want to make it a forever farm, like the ones we have established at our three agricultural centers in New York’s Hudson Valley.

NEFA is setting up the multi-member Monadnock Agricultural Center LLC, replicating and adapting the successful legal, financial and social model we developed and implemented at Copake, Chester and Esopus. We’re holding individual meetings meantime for those wishing to learn more; the new center’s first open house was held May 27, 2017.

The Monadnock Center Vision

We envision the Monadnock center as exceptionally diverse:

NEFA is working with social innovator and entrepreneur Dr. Claudia Ford and her partners for the newly formed Tisané initiative to lease the main Maple Homestead farmhouse, upper fields and woods and barns. On the lower fields, we plan limited development—several small green-design houses around a restorative agricultural landscape. Bridging the two farm areas: diversified farming, a center for our agroecology work where we can leverage learning from all our properties and share that research with the wider organic community, and Tisané’s herb and food farming, plus artist farm stays.

Ongoing revenue will continue to be derived from the current hay, maple sugaring and livestock operations, while the core farm begins the transition to organic and biodynamic practices.

Farther ahead: Tisané’s 2018 plans include producing, blending, packing and shipping herbs commonly used for medicines and teas, and establishing a tea room. They will also grow vegetables, poultry, small fruits and develop beekeeping.

Those wishing to learn more about NEFA’s plans for the future Monadnock Agricultural Center can contact Bob Bernstein at (603) 209-2000 or email bob [at] nefarmaccess [dot] com.

‘How Is Your Work Ensuring Farm Viability?’ An Albany Conference Recap

June 25, 2017 Leave a Comment

By Michelle Hughes, NEFA Summer Intern

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending the National Farm Viability Conference with a few members of the NEFA team in the historic city of Albany, New York. Hosted at the new Capital Center in the heart of downtown, the conference touched on the many facets of farm viability and more generally on building a more sustainable food system in the U.S. While the group of speakers was diverse–ranging from value-added food company owners to policymakers of the USDA–most were asked the same question: “How is your work ensuring farm viability?”

When the time came for NEFA’s founder to represent our work on a panel, I found myself asking that very same question. What about NEFA’s work creates and fosters forever farms? What challenges do we face in guaranteeing the viability of our farms for 30 years (or more)?

The answer to this isn’t simple, and it shouldn’t be. The issues we face in creating and ensuring viability to our farmers and their work is complex and therefore call for elaborate and creative solutions. What have been identified as the most significant barriers to farm viability–lack of access to capital, land, education/training and markets–each have obstacles even within their logical solutions. NEFA addresses these issues by joining together a team of individuals who each bring a unique set of skills and insight to the evolving world of agricultural real estate and investment, but still share the common goals of supplying increased access to good, local food and ensuring farm viability.

Together, we are able to identify former farmland that is prime for organic restoration and pair it with investors passionate about seeing a reward in the land and making the food system more sustainable. With capital from our financial backers, we are able to offer our farmers the option to lease on a 30-year basis as opposed to owning. Additionally, we maintain close relationships with programs bringing in the next generation of farmers and providing them with the technical and business skills necessary to be successful in our model.

Alliances like these give our team access to qualified groups of farmers in our recruitment process. Lastly, farms growing on NEFA properties access a variety of markets ranging from direct to consumer to institutional wholesale. In many ways, we procure solutions to problems that attempt to overcome adversity while simultaneously create a complete new model for agriculture and the food system on a large scale.

The theme for the closing remarks of the conference last week was inclusivity and combined efforts. The speakers mostly mentioned how companies of different natures can work together to discover new methods for farmers that will aid in their business’ survival. NEFA is doing just that–creating access where it is lacking by making connections between all of the right people. I am delighted and honored to be working as an intern for our founder this summer and more importantly, inspired each day that I learn more about the NEFA model. Cheers to a summer of more long-term connections and bountiful harvests.

From NEFA, the 2016 Year in Review

January 3, 2017 Leave a Comment

By all accounts, 2016 was a very challenging year. In reflecting on the whole, however, we see that in spite of considerable challenges, we made great strides forward….