Blog
What they don’t tell you when you decide to farm
When I chose to become a farmer, I don't think anyone told me that the job is really not just about raising animals or growing vegetables. The reality of owning a small business, particularly a farm, is that you have to learn how to do EVERYTHING yourself. Let me tell...
How We Got Lucky
A thoughtful woman you might know (cough, Oprah) says that luck is the meeting of preparation and opportunity. I think that it is this sort of luck, that lead us to our farm here in Henrietta. After getting his pHd in chemistry, Greg spent years farming on other...
The Real Reason We Write This Blog Every Week
I went for a walk with a friend this week, and after she mentioned how much she was enjoying reading our newsletters she paused and asked me what a lot of people ask us....Isn't it scary? I sighed and thought OH MY GOD, YES! Her question made me realize that even...
A perfect pair: a livestock farmer and a vegetarian
Last week, we celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary! Every year on our anniversary, we spend a little time looking through our wedding photos and re-reading our vows. It's a little thing that has become an important tradition, giving us an opportunity to reflect on...
We have a “situation” here on the farm…
You know that one spot in your house that drives you nuts every time you think about it? It's the place you put all the random stuff you don't know what to do with. It houses all the things that you probably should have donated or just put in the trash years ago but...
How the farm has changed our marriage
This week, we hosted 3 separate tours on the farm (phew, that's a new record for us!). So, it's fair to say that this week, we spent a lot of time sharing about the progress we're making here. We moved a 200-year old barn from down to the road to our property, we've...
Turns out, flash cards aren’t that helpful
You know that feeling of overwhelm you sometimes get when you're about to have a bunch of house-guests over? You know it will all be fine...but you can't NOT obsess a little about whether you've taken out the trash, cleaned the bathroom, or tidied up the kitchen? ...
What I learn from a cheese-making teamster
I've learned that one of the most important skills you need to develop as a livestock farmer, is being able to compassionately handle your animals. I didn't grow up farming, so I learned these skill from other farmers I've been lucky enough to meet along the way. One...
Why Nerds (Like Me) Love Farming
Farmer Greg, here. As you may already know, I came from a science background before I started farming. While I no longer dwell on the minutiae of analyzing the components of regional air quality, my experiences in grad school still influence how we think and farm here...
Falling in Love Making Salsa, Kimchi and Apple sauce? Yep.
My Mom always cans a few things every year and taught me the basics when I was 12 or 13 years old. Unlike my siblings that had zero interest in this hobby, I loved the whole process. Getting to spend one-on-one time with my Mom early in the morning when everyone else...
Greg’s Moment of Truth
Greg and I met as seniors at Hamilton College and have basically been inseparable ever since. A year after graduation, we moved to California together so he could start his PhD program in chemistry. From the outside looking in, he seemed pretty excited about a future...
Joy and Purpose with Pigs? Heck Yeah!
From the very beginning, when we first decided to raise pork here at Stonecrop Farm, Greg knew we were going to have our own breeding program. Few area farmers do this but it was very important to us and here's why: 1. Breeding here means that we can guarantee the...
Have You Been Wondering About Our Farm’s Name?
It was back in the spring of 2015. Greg was heading into his third season as an organic veggie farmer. Because farmers usually have too much time on their hands (HA HA!), he decided that in addition to growing veggies, he wanted to raise some livestock on the side....
Organic Farmers Go On Vacation
Greg and I were chatting with a friend this week about what it's really like to own a farm. We were discussing the behind the scenes, real-life experience of living here at Stonecrop Farm that we don't often talk about. There are so many overwhelmingly positive...
One of Our Most Epic Farm Flops
While we've surely had a lot of success here at Stonecrop, not all of our plans have turned out exactly as we would have liked. The story of our geese captures one of our very first epic farm flops. Before we bought our farm, Greg learned that geese can be excellent...