Finding truly all-natural meat means shopping small and local. Hudson Valley consumers seeking to avoid factory-farmed food have a field-to-table ally at Northaven Pastures in Red Hook. For the past two years, the 95-acre farm has been producing sustainably, compassionately raised beef, pork and eggs, and is building facilities to add fresh raw milk to their farm store.
Grass-fed beef and pasture-raised pork are packed with nutrients, but not all supermarket labels tell the full story. Some producers use these terms loosely, selling meat from animals that grazed briefly but were later fattened on commercial feed—diminishing both the flavor and health benefits that justify the higher price.
The Red Hook family farm goes “beyond organic” with regenerative, chemical-free farming and nose-to-tail butchery. Farmer Cameron Pedigo emphasizes giving animals a healthy, natural life, allowing them to roam and behave instinctively from birth to harvest.
At the farm, cows are moved to fresh pasture at least once a day, sometimes twice, and pigs get fresh new ground to forage every seven to 10 days. Northaven practices ecological regenerative farming, a holistic way of replenishing the Earth instead of working against it.
“Pigs have little shovel-shaped ends to their noses, so they’re constantly aerating the soil and releasing the dormant seed bank into the topsoil, which means more grass for the cows. The chickens spread out the residue the cows leave behind. All three species help each other; they’re integrated into an ecologically beneficial system,” Pedigo says.
Customers can fill their freezers with bulk pork or beef, sold by the whole, half, quarter, or, in the case of beef, an eighth of an animal—or purchase individually packaged cuts online to pick up in person at the farm store, where visitors are welcome to see what’s on hand.
“Either make an appointment on our website or stop by and ring the bell, and one of us will appear in a few minutes,” says farm co-founder Eric Marchwinski. “We are not only focused on the quality of our products but the quality of the customer experience. Offering a convenient online store including current inventory, modern payment methods, and an integrated scheduling platform are just a few of the improvements we have implemented to ensure the customer experience is as wonderful as the meat on your table.”
“We’ve built our current customer base with bulk sales, and people are responding with enthusiasm,” Marchwinski says. “We are working hard this year to connect with our community of customers more interested in smaller and more frequent products, such as weekend visitors and visitors from New York City. Offering a diverse range of products in addition to diverse purchasing options is vital to make our offerings accessible to a wider portion of the local community.”
This spring, Northaven is building infrastructure to augment their dairy product line—they are working hard to obtain state licensing for raw milk by fall.
More information about Northaven Pastures can be found at Northavenpastures.com, where one can view and purchase the current inventory and subscribe to their thoughtful monthly newsletter. The farm also welcomes calls at (845) 982-2101, or drop-bys at the farm store, located at 358 Milan Hill Road in Red Hook.
Northaven Pastures
This article appears in April 2025.
