Meat is not murder, but it is killing. There is not space here to go into the arguments for and against—and I was a vegetarian for 18 years, so I’m well-acquainted with both points of view—so let’s begin by stipulating that local small farms are categorically different from the huge factory operations such as those depicted in Food, Inc. If we can agree on that, separating the sustainable from the indefensible, then we can focus on the many benefits that such farms bring to our region. Besides healthier, better-tasting meat, prosperous farms provide jobs, preserve our scenic landscape, and promote both tourism and our local culinary identity. And many of them sell directly to the public.
Eric Eschbach of Cedar Hill Farm in Amenia is a third-generation farmer raising cattle on land that has been agricultural since the 18th century. He raises grass-fed certified Black Angus cattle, which until this year were 100 percent grass-fed. Now he gives them a supplement of corn silage for the last 30 days, which improves the marbling of fat in the meat without altering the nutritional profile; among other things, grass-fed meat in the beneficial Omega-3 fatty acid that lowers cholesterol as opposed to the unhealthy Omega-6 found in grain-fed beef. Grass-fed beef is also much higher in vitamins, especially E, and cancer-fighting CLA fatty acids. Cows evolved to eat grass, not grain (though the seeds of mature grasses are part of their natural diet) and healthy cows have healthy meat. Because there’s less intramuscular fat, though, the meat should be cooked on the rarer side for best flavor and texture. And the flavor is noticeably beefier. On the debate over methods, he says that both sides “use extremes to make a point; you can go right down the middle and still make a good product.” He resists labels, saying “There’s nothing wrong with ‘conventional’ agriculture, if that means doing it the way it’s always been done.” In other words, there’s nothing conventional about cement feedlots, antibiotic and hormone-laden grain, and vast lagoons of shit; if a farmer from 100 or 1,000 years ago would recognize every step of your process, you’re doing it right.
Meet Your Meat
A little bit of research can pay off; like Cedar Hill Farm, there are numerous small operations that do not yet have websites and sell only from their farms. Sepascot Home Farm in Rhinebeck, run by Susan and Chris Fitzgerald, has been selling beef, pork, chicken, and eggs for about a year. Susan, a vegetarian, says she struggled with the decision to grow animals for food but ultimately decided that it was better to raise them humanely, according to her high standards, and also make a profit to prevent the farm—in her family since 1906—from becoming “another housing development. People should put a face and a place to where their food comes from,” she says, and notes that her customers are delighted to have a good local source. Another under-the-radar producer is Barr Vista farm in Willow, where Dana LaBarr raises a few cattle a year and sells eggs to neighbors. She relies entirely on word-of-mouth for publicity, but as demand increases she may begin to advertise. “Farmers are animal lovers,” she emphasizes; “they have their best interest at heart and are proud of the finished product.” That pride and caring is strongly evident in all of the farmers interviewed for this piece.
Some farms offer a meat CSA; Northwind Farm in Tivoli is one. Jane and Richard Biezynski offer whole and half shares of their chicken, beef, and pork for monthly pickup or delivery to their stand at the Farmers’ Markets in Woodstock and Kingston. Orders can be customized, and they try to accommodate requests. Jane Biezynski feels strongly that people should know the source of their meat: “Just because it’s a family farm, that doesn’t guarantee the condition of animals. Go to the farm and see the conditions.” Few of our regional animal farms are certified organic. Stephanie Turco of Veritas Farm in Esopus explains: “We’re well beyond it. ‘Organic’ doesn’t have anything to do with the quality of the animals’ life; organic chickens can be battery-raised, and organic beef and pork can be kept in horrific conditions. Our animals are outside all year round.” Turco also works exclusively with a slaughterhouse that is Animal Welfare Approved, the highest rating for humane practices. Turco, like many of her peers, practices rotational grazing, moving the cows from pasture to pasture with chickens not far behind to scatter the manure and eat all the bugs. This system grows the best possible grass, which in turn makes for the best possible meat.
Grass roots
“There’s a whole sustainable style of agriculture based on grass-fed beef,” says Larry Lampman of Fox Hill Farm in Ancramdale. “Soil is our most important natural resource, and grass holds the soil. Grass grows in places that row crops can’t.” Since 1999, he has used no herbicides, pesticides, or commercial fertilizer, but he too says he has no interest in getting certified as organic. Lampman offers whole, half, and quarter animals as well as cuts. His preferred format is “cowpooling” where families combine funds and buy a live beast. Once the purchase is made, the animal is the property of the buyers, and Lampman is then legally able to kill it on his property. “It’s happy one minute, dead the next,” he says, emphasizing that this is by far the most humane method of slaughter, since there’s no transportation or disruption of the animal’s regular routine.
At $3-per-pound hanging weight (the skinned, headless carcass) plus another dollar per pound for processing and Cryovac packaging, a 650-pound steer from Fox Hill will cost $2,600. Split four ways, a family can stock up on a year’s worth of beef for $650. At this juncture it’s worth mentioning that for those with some space, a chest freezer can have a very positive impact on one’s annual food bills. Buying in bulk direct from the farm is the best way to bring the price of good meat down to a point where it can begin to compete with supermarket offerings, thus making it available to more people and helping to compensate for the massive subsidies that industrially produced meat enjoys. Despite frequent recalls, contamination scares, and the clear inferiority of the product from both a health and flavor perspective, the market remains severely skewed in favor of the very worst methods.
Some animals are more equal than others
There are industrial dairies in our area; local milk does not always mean humanely raised. Brooks Farm in Stone Ridge is selling raw milk by the half gallon to about 300 regular customers, who bring their own jars at milking time or drop off empties and pick them up full later on. Hawthorne Valley farm in Ghent also sells raw milk as well as yogurt, quark (curd cheese), and cheeses. Scott Brooks of Brooks Farm says that the demand for their milk is such that they will be increasing their herd of Holsteins from 52 to 80 or more over the course of this year and plan to start selling raw milk cheeses as well.
Many of these farms also raise poultry and sell eggs as well. As with organic, the designation “free-range” is misleading; it means that the birds have access to some small outdoor space, but not that they actually use it. What matters is that the chickens actually live and scratch outside in grass like they’re supposed to, eating insects and worms along with their feed. Eggs from such birds are things of beauty, with gorgeous orange yolks and firm whites that stand up proudly when cracked into a skillet. Small farms also help to keep heritage breeds of birds and pigs alive; as with heirloom vegetables, these types have superior taste and distinct individual characteristics. Heritage pork in particular has beautiful, thick white fat where factory-raised breeds have little, and thus little flavor. More than a few farms also grow and sell vegetables, making for one-stop shopping in season. Savvy home gardeners know that a friendly farmer nearby means a source for manure, and thus for the very best compost.
If you ask any of our local farmers, we are blessed to live in this part of the world. Our soil is excellent, and our grass is as good or better than anywhere. In 16 months of writing this section, I have not met a more dedicated, passionate, and articulate group of people than the farmers who raise animals for us to eat. And they are all over the Hudson Valley; chances are good that you live a short drive from one or more of these farms. Cedar Hill Farm’s Eschbach asks: “We all have a mechanic and a dentist. Wouldn’t it be great if we all had a farmer, too?”
RESOURCES
Awesome Farm, Tivoli (beef, lamb): www.awesomefarmny.com
Barr Vista Farm, Willow (beef, eggs): (845) 679-2776
Bettinger Bluff Farm, Pine Bush (beef): www.bettingerbluff.com
Brooks Farm, Stone Ridge (raw milk): (845) 687-4074
Brookside Farm, Gardiner (beef, pork, chicken, eggs): www.brookside-farm.com
Brykill Farm, Gardiner (beef): www.brykillfarm.com
Cedar Hill Farm, Amenia (beef): (845) 242-1788
Four Winds Farm, Gardiner (beef, lamb, pork, turkey, chicken): http://users.bestweb.net/~fourwind/index.html
Fox Hill Farm, Ancramdale (beef): www.foxhillfarmgrassfedbeef.com
Full Moon Farm, New Paltz (beef, lamb, pork, chicken): www.fullmoonfarmny.com
Gansevoort Farm, Germantown (beef, lamb): (518) 537-4668
Gippert’s Farm, Saugerties (chicken, turkeys, pork, eggs): (845) 247-9479
Hawthorne Valley Farm, Ghent (raw milk, dairy products): www.hawthornevalleyfarm.org
Hickory Field Farm, Slate Hill (beef, chicken, eggs): www.hickoryfieldfarm.blogspot.com
Kezialain Farm, Westtown (beef): www.kezialain.com
Kiernan Farm, Gardiner (beef): www.kiernanfarm.com
Kinderhook Farm, Valatie (beef, eggs): www.kinderhookfarm.com
Midsummer Farm, Warwick (eggs): www.midsummerfarm.com
Movable Beast Farm, Accord (beef): (845) 626-2790
Northwind Farms, Tivoli (beef, pork, chicken, turkey): www.northwindfarmsallnatural.com
Pathfinder Farms, Catskill (beef): www.pathfinderfarms.com
Sepascot Home Farm, Rhinebeck (beef, pork, eggs): (845) 876-5840
Temple Farm, Millbrook (beef): (845) 677-8757
Veritas Farms, Esopus (beef, pork, chicken, duck, eggs): www.veritasfarms.com
This article appears in April 2010.
