Last month, Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County organized a full day trip for local farmers to meet and learn from Essex County food producers. In addition to a chartered bus ride, there were two tracks for participants to choose from, each with two farm stops. Both the produce track and the livestock track featured profitable and progressive Adirondack farmers who have successful value-added enterprises. At the close of the day, visitors and hosts came together on Lake Champlain for a local food BBQ which offered the chance to network with other producers from across northern New York.
Here are the farms that each participant could see and learn from.
- Mace Chasm Farm- Courtney Grimes-Sutton and Asa Thomas-Train graze cattle, sheep, pigs, and poultry in Keeseville. Unique parts of this business include having an on-farm butcher shop where they prepare smoked meats and a wide range of sausages. Though in a remote location, they have a thriving on-farm store, and sell their meats directly to customers at farmers’ markets.
2. North Country Creamery- Ashlee Kleinhammer and Steve Googin run this 100% grass-fed, Non-GMO, & Animal Welfare Approved dairy in Keeseville, NY. They produce a variety of cheeses including Camembert, Havarti and feta, along with cream-line yogurt and have a permit to sell raw milk. In addition to the dairy operations, they operate Clover Mead Farmstore.
3. Wild Work Farm- Lissa Goldstein started in 2018 growing vegetables and fruit in the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks. Her farm produces high-quality products for sale at farmers’ markets, through a market share program, and to restaurants and wholesale accounts. Wild Work has their gaze set towards social, environmental and economic sustainability, and long-term resiliency in her business. Read more Producers Touring Essex County Farms