We use organic production methods for all of our produce. We rely on building soil fertility by rotating the land between tillage agriculture and forage crops grazed by our livestock, plowing in cover crops and mulch, and adding compost. We use rock powders and organic fertilizers on a limited basis to correct soil imbalances.

We employ a wide array of management strategies to control weeds in the farm ecosystem. Insects and diseases are controlled only through organic methods. Priority is given to cultural techniques such as crop rotation, staking and mulching, and physical barriers. Beneficial insect habitat will be established in strategic areas on the farm. Jeremy will also continue his work on selecting tomatoes for disease resistance as another line of defense. Certain pests are difficult to control with purely cultural techniques; for these we use the least toxic and most pest-specific organic controls available. Crop rotation also helps avoid major pest and disease build-up.

Thanks to a generous grant from the Massachusetts AEEP Program, we have installed a zero-fossil-fuels greenhouse for production of transplants and season extension of many crops. The Greenhouse will be heated by a boiler which burns used vegetable oil from restaurants, and will also have a system for storing solar heat gain. We see this as one step down the road to eliminating fossil fuel inputs on our farm.

All of our crop production, and our egg production, is certified organic by Baystate Organic Certifiers. All of our livestock are out on pasture for as much of the year as possible, continually rotated so that they always have fresh green feed.