Stony Creek Farmstead
Our Mission: We grow nutrient dense food while caring for the soil, the plants, the animals and the people in our community. The work we do extends beyond the food on your plate. We endeavor to make the farm a place of growth and renewal for all who visit.
‘We believe diversity is key to the health of living systems. Healthy soil grows healthy plants, healthy plants feed healthy animals, and the synergy of the animals and plants together in a system that mimics nature returns health and biodiversity to the soil.’ - Essex Farm
Animals
Cows, Sheep, pigs and poultry
We adhere to rigorous free-range, beyond organic, pasturing practices for all of our animals. Our cows and sheep are 100% grass fed. We practice management intensive grazing which involves allowing them to move to new pasture sometimes every day. As omnivores, pigs and poultry require a more diverse diet than our sheep and cows. We rotate the pigs and poultry to new pasture, while also supplementing their grass and dirt diet with certified organic grains from a local farm.
Veggies
We grow our vegetables with minimal tillage, no chemical fertilizers, and careful attention to soil health. We know that healthy soil is the root of all we do on the farm. We deeply bed, cover crop, and companion plant. We collect microbes from the forest floor. We observe and respect the natural world. There is much to learn as we grow nutrient dense fruits and vegetables.
Order a harvest basket for the weekend.
People
Family, friends, neighbors, apprentices, guests. The farm is a canvas we all contribute our own color and style to. Weeding the garden, feeding the animals, baking the bread, painting signs, carving pathways, starting seeds, transplanting apple trees, butchering turkeys, building the pizza shed, splitting firewood, and so much more!
Our Animals
Beef
Our beef herd primarily consists of Belted Galloway cattle, a robust breed originating from Scotland's Galloway district, well-suited for Catskills' winters due to their hide and long hair. Their insulation allows lean muscle development without excess fat typical in feedlot cows.
Our cattle live their lives outdoors on pasture, thriving on a diet of grasses, legumes, and mixed forbs. They never receive grain, following rotational grazing for the most nutritious pasture. In winter, they feed on harvested hay. This forage-based diet results in leaner, healthier beef with increased Omega-3s and vitamin E.
Raising cattle this way takes time—about two years per steer. Proper grazing not only ensures nutritious, flavorful meat but also fosters a sustainable agricultural environment. When you enjoy our beef, you taste the bounty of our local foodshed. For more on grass-fed meat, visit www.eatwild.com.
Sheep
We care for 30 Clun Forest Ewes, a resilient heritage breed from Wales, birthing 40-60 lambs every May. These sheep are renowned for excellent mothering, thriving on pasture, and enduring tough climates.
Lambing coincides with the return of spring grass in May, allowing ewes to produce ample milk for their lambs. Most have twin lambs, although some have just one.
Our sheep are exclusively grass-fed, thriving on pasture and forage from May to December. Through management intensive grazing, they move through small pasture sections daily for the best food quality. In winter, when grass is scarce, we feed hay that we've cut and stored. Their stress-free life and top-notch nutrition result in the most delicious lamb around.
Pigs
We raise certified organic Tamworth piglets born at two local farms. They arrive at 8 weeks of age and they live the rest of their life on our clean pasture. We feed them a certified organic grain blend from a NY farm and rotate their pasture area 3 times during the season - they love the grasses, roots, grubs, and worms they find!
The characteristics of the Tamworth reflect the breed's centuries of selection for an outdoor life. Pigs of this breed were expected to find their own food, especially mast (or acorns) of oak and beech forests.
Our pork is more than good for you, it's DELICIOUS! All of our sausages are made with organic herbs and spices. There is no MSG. And all of the smoking is done naturally without the addition of nitrates. Don't forget the bacon!
Poultry
Annually, we raise hens and broiler chickens from day-old chicks, nurturing them in a heated barn before they're ready for the pasture. They're rotated daily for grazing, contributing to soil fertility, while helping us manage the parasite population. Free-ranging greatly impacts taste, texture, and sustainability.
Our heritage laying flock takes six months to mature on a diet rich in bugs and grasses. They roam in mobile coops, fertilizing the pasture and giving us the most delicious eggs - reflected in their vibrant egg yolks. In the colder months, we supplement their diet with winter squash, hay, and veggie scraps.
Thanksgiving Turkeys
Our Turkeys roam the clean organic pastures of our farm in the Catskill Mountains eating grasses, bugs and even dirt! We supplement their diet with a locally grown CERTIFIED ORGANIC grain from Lakeview Organic Grains. We will be butchering them on the farm the week before Thanksgiving.
They will be available to pick up at the farm, NYC home delivery, and through the 607CSA. Please let us know what size you prefer (we do our best) SM 8-12lbs, MED 12-17Ibs, or LG 17-22+lbs. $7.15/lb.
Our Produce
Veggies
Our farm grew out of our passion for great food, our commitment to a healthy environment and strong beliefs about animal welfare. We grow our vegetables with minimal tillage, no chemical fertilizers, and careful attention to soil health. We know that healthy soil is the root of all we do on the farm. If we feed and care for the thousands of microbes and organisms in the soil, they will feed and care for us. So we use mulch, cover cropping, soil tests, refractometer readings, and our intuition to care for the microbes, the soil and the plants.
Throughout our 9 years of farming we have sold our vegetables at farmer’s markets, through a CSA, to local restaurants, health food stores and at our own farm store. Now, you can only purchase our vegetables at our farm store. Please call if you have any special requests or if you would like to preorder a vegetable box - $20 in the early and late season and $25 mid season. (607) 865-7965 or email office@stonycreekfarmstead.com.
Dan and Kate
We have been farming since 2005 and have learned a lot starting from the ground up. We started growing animals and vegetables and selling at farmer's markets for the first 5 years. Driven by a desire to spend more time on the farm, we established a unique farm stay experience for overnight guests, a successful on-farm store and licensed kitchen. We also host a weekly community meal and summer workshops for kids and adults.
Consultation Services -
Regenerative Farming, Homesteading, Land Stewardship, Agritourism, Design and Build
Consultations available November - March. All consultations will be done over the phone or via Zoom/Skype/Facetime. Email us to set one up!
