New farm crops up in Pine Plains

PINE PLAINS — Full Circus Farm is one of the most recent agricultural operations to open in the town of Pine Plains. The non-certified organic vegetable and fruit tree farm is located at 27 Mil’s Path, off Finkle Road (which is off Route 199, halfway between Millerton and Pine Plains). “Organic” means there will be no synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers used in the production of goods.

Putting down roots

The farm started up in August, did a lot of prep work through the fall and now has its greenhouse and milking parlor (for the family dairy cow) ready. Two acres of the 20 acres of leased land have been plowed for vegetables and next year another two acres will be integrated for farming on a rotational basis. 

The farm is owned and operated by couple Miriam Goler and Mark Stonehill, pictured above. The pair is from New York City, in fact they went to high school together before making their way to college at Cornell University and Macalester College, respectively. At Cornell, Goler’s major was agricultural sciences, with a concentration in sustainable agriculture, while Stonehill majored in urban geography with a minor in environmental studies.

Their first foray into farming life was in Minnesota, at Easy Bean Farm. In 2011 they apprenticed at Quail Hill Farm, a pick-your-own CSA farm in Amagansett, Long Island. The couple then moved to Maine in 2012 to work at Mandala Farm and later North Branch Farm, both diversified horse-powered farms.

“It’s been really good,” said Goler. “We’ve farmed together for a couple of years on other people’s farms now. We’ve had a chance to work out some of the kinks.

“There’s a whole different level of investment and also stress when it’s your own farm and it’s a lot harder to walk away from it at the end of the day, but we’ve been really supportive of each other and I don’t think either of us would be able to do this without the other,” she added. “We’re so reliant on each other and really love each other and that’s what makes this possible for us.”

Finding home

Goler said they decided to return to New York — their home state — to be nearer family and friends.

“So we started looking in the Hudson River Valley, which seemed to be the right place in terms of social dynamic, and we didn’t want to farm on Long Island,” she said. “There was a hub of farmers here and we found this place through the Columbia Land Conservancy, which put our information into their data base. We looked at a bunch of properties and when we got to this piece of land it looked like it could work for us, hopefully for a long while. So far it’s been really great and we’re feeling pretty optimistic.”

Full Circus is notable for a number of reasons. In addition to following organic farming practices the farm is going to be primarily horse powered. 

“This means that we [will] use our draft horses to plow, spread compost, knock out weeds and move our hen house, among other tasks,” explained the couple on their website, www.fullcircusfarm.wordpress.com. “Although we have a tractor, we try to limit its use to activities the horses can’t do — like turning the compost. There are many reasons why we are drawn to farming with horses: environmental concerns [they eat grass instead of fossil fuels, compact our soils less and their manure is an important source of fertility] and bumpy tractors that smell like diesel make us feel queasy, but ultimately, we use draft power because we have fallen in love with working with horses.”

“They’ll be a pretty integral part of the farm,” said Goler about the horses, which were just purchased a short time ago.

CSA

Also, there will be a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) component to Full Circus Farm. From June through November people will be able to purchase a share (or half share) of the CSA for weekly supplies of fresh produce. Some of the produce will be available to pick right off the farm.

“One of the things Mark and I are both really excited about is creating that community that comes with having a CSA farm,” said Goler. “Our members will come to the farm each week to pick up vegetables, but I hope it’s not going to be like a grocery store where they just come in and check out. We want to create a community here on the farm.

“Some crops will be pick your own, and that will provide a way for members to stay a little longer on the field and to get to know each other,” she added. “That feels special. And the community aspect of the farm is not just for CSA members. We’ve had a pretty steady stream of visitors and it feels like we’re creating this space where there are possibilities for people to come together and that feels really good.”

“The cost for one share [22 weeks from June to November] is $600. We also offer half shares for $375,” stated the website. “Weekly pick-ups are held on the farm. Choose to pick up your share on Saturday mornings from 8 to 11 a.m. or Tuesday evenings from 5 to 7 p.m. We want this to work for our community — if the price is a barrier, please contact us.”

Community outreach

One agency that will be taking advantage of the CSA is Grace Latino Outreach, affiliated with the Grace Church in Millbrook. 

“[We’ve] committed to two programs on the farm,” said Latino Outreach’s Evelyn Garzetta. “One is the CSA and the other is a garden tour for children of our ESL students.

“They are so dedicated to the community that I think they are just wonderful,” she added. “They are so community minded and involved. People like Mark and Miriam are the future of our farms in the area and I wholeheartedly feel we should support them. We will know where our food comes from and it will be a benefit  to everyone in the Northeast area in the future. We need more Marks and Miriams.”

Both Goler and Stonehill provide childcare to those who take advantage of the Grace Latino Outreach ESL program in Pine Plains, and thought a farm tour would be a good fit.

“We’re pretty excited about that,” said Goler.

Stonehill also works in the after-school program at the North East Community Center (NECC) in Millerton.

“It’s really great for him,” said Goler. “He really loves it. And we want to have an educational space for the farm whether it’s for children or adults; we’re still figuring out what that’s going to look like. But Evelyn approached us with this idea and it fits with the overall picture of the farm, so we’re excited about it and seeing where it leads.”

The pair was at NECC on Wednesday, March 25, for a cheese- and butter-making workshop with the children. Goler said to look for more such collaborations in the future.

In the meantime, Full Circus Farm can be reached by email at fullcircusfarm@gmail.com or by phone at 518-789-0025.