The Catskill Mountain Foundation farm

The Catskill Mountain Foundation started a Natural Agriculture farm in upstate New York in the summer of 1999. The Foundation’s goal was to create a community farm that would combine their vision for promoting the arts, education and sustainable living. By implementing the principles of Natural Agriculture, the farm is more than a working community farm. It is also an educational facility and a place where people can reconnect with nature and appreciate the natural beauty around them.

The farm covers roughly 5 acres with a 0.5 acre plot in the Village of Hunter and a 4.5 acre field in the middle of the Catskill Mountain Foundation’s Sugar Maples Center for Arts and Education campus. Given the cold mountain climate and rocky clay soil, the farm has a heated greenhouse, two unheated hoop houses, a processing building for washing and packaging produce and seed storage. The Sugar Maples facility also has a new 3,000 square foot greenhouse and Visitor’s Center and landscaping plans are underway.

On the farm they grow a variety of crops, including different varieties of lettuce, kale, mizuna, tatsoi, Swiss chard, as well as beets, turnips, carrots, basil, cucumbers, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini, beans, heirloom winter and summer squash, asparagus, peas, beets, peppers, onions, and scallion. As a Natural Agriculture farm, cultivation is done without the use of any chemicals, pesticides or fertilizers, including manure or compost and the crops are grown with pure soil, water and natural seeds.

Fresh Natural Agriculture produce from the farm is delivered to the Fresh Harvest Café and Farm Market each week. The Café is conveniently located in the Farm Market in Hunter Village Square and offers a variety of delicious, seasonal and organic meals prepared by Executive Chef, Paul Morales.

The farm also offers tours to the public on a regular basis and works with local school children to teach them about where their food comes from and the environment. The foundation recently received a grant to develop a curriculum on Natural Agriculture.