57 miles on the road found Kate and I at Satur Farm in Cutchogue, NY on the North Fork of Long Island.  It was a hot day and we were pretty worn out by the time we arrived. That evening we enjoyed a home cooked meal prepared by myself with some supplies off the bike and “fresh as it gets” ingredients right off the farm.  That night was spent in a tent looking up at the stars tossing uncomfortably on sore muscles in the heat.

We came to Satur Farm through our Chipotle connection Ryann. The farmers there work the sandy loam of the North Fork in a more industrial, yet still responsible manor. With 180 acres, 65 employees, a fleet of trucks, greens galore, and a conveyor belt cleaning and cooling system Satur Farm is not what I would call “small potatoes.”

The size of Satur raises some concerns and some grumbles among smaller farmers. Grumbles that I’ve heard about other larger organic operations I have been to, for instance Pete and Gerry’s. The argument is that the larger scale compromises local food,  stretches what is “organic”, and takes market share from smaller farmers.

I will start with a comparative analysis. For the argument of local, if larger organic farms are shipping produce, let us say 500 miles, that is a lot better than 3000 miles from California, or 5200 miles from Argentina. While true locavores strive for the 250 mile limit, and the more intense 100 mile limit, if I am located on the East Coast I would rather my produce from the East Coast then from California or South America.

The stretch of what it means to be “organic” reaches into some touchy and very sticky territory. Organic growers are of a special breed of people that strive for more regulation instead of less. The larger farms I have visited and am referencing here are very passionate about holding to the organic standards. Having been there I know no pesticides, chemical fertilizers, GMOs, horomes, etc… are used. They practice soil maintenance with cover crops and a very involved crop rotation.

In the words of Paulette Satur regarding her customers, “They know who we are, they know how we grow.”  Simply proven by the fact that Kate and I were able to ask questions, walk around, and take pictures is proof positive that they thrive on the transparency of their methods. In a country where it’s illegal to take pictures of factory farms in some states I say that is definitely worth something.

Satur is not organic certified but strictly holds to organic standards. They are however HACCP certified as are all their staff.

To the nay sayers of the larger organic producers I say this, if this country ever gets to the point where this is the “worst” we have to deal with I will be in heaven, and we will be in a food utopia.

For the last point, encroaching on markets. Larger organic producers (for my knowledge) hit a different market. Pete and Gerry’s eggs are in my local super market, but you cannot find them in any of the farmer’s markets that I visit. Jesse (the owner) will even tell you that if you have the chance to buy eggs direct from the farmer, do it.

Smaller farms depend heavily on CSAs, farm stands, and local selling. The different scale hits a different market for the most part. There is some over lap. I did talk to some farmers who could not sell to restaurants because Satur already cornered the market there. That’s where competition comes in. Prove that you can produce a solid, superior, or altogether different product and that market share will be yours. (Easy to say from my New York apartment.)

OTHER  STUFF

Kate and I are hitched. It was a great time with family and friends at a garden ceremony and simple reception at a garden education center in Connecticut. Our good friend and photographer for the day did an amazing job with the pictures (something I am very critical of). You can take a gander at http://dancrosleyphoto.com/kateandjohnwedding/

Now that the big trips for the summer are over the real planning for around the world starts. Figuring out definite stops, real routes along roads, time of year to be where, visa allowences, etc… I just got my tetnis and polio vaccines on Monday. I go back in a month for another round. Turns out visiting SE Asia means we have to get vaccinated for everything.

My friend Scott and I are working on a video of our visit to Pete and Gerry’s. We both now have more time to work on that so you can expect that in the weeks to come.

I am going to plan on posting a blog update every Wednesday. It will give me a deadline and give you, the reader, a sense of stability as to how often I will be posting. I have plenty of stuff in the works.

Thanks again to Pete and Gerry’s for their support of Kate and I as we rode our bikes along Long Island.

After many miles on the bike and a few minutes on a ferry Kate and I found ourselves on Shelter Island at Sylvester Manor. A 358 year old property with a 257 year old manor house, 243 acres of historic property, 3 of which are farmed for vegetables and flowers.

Started in 1652, the Manor has been a native hunting grounds, a slaveholding plantation, a vegetable farm providing food for New York, Hartford and Providence, and home to the father of modern food chemistry, Eben Norton Horsford.

Managed by Bennett Konensi the farm provides vegetables for the farm stand and its CSA of island locals. Ask Bennett what the trick to managing a vegetable farm is and he will tell you, “planning, planning, planning, and more planning.” Between organic standards, crop rotation,  how fast things grow, the time of year, it is a logistical mountain that you must climb time and again. Not to mention you cannot always depend on weather and how many people you have to do all the work that needs to be done. Throw in starting a Not For Profit Organization on top of that and you quickly find your hands full.

It began when Bennett’s uncle, who lives in California, asked him what were they going to do with the property. Bennett suggested starting an educational farm. For the last few years the farm has been growing and plans slowly coming into fruition.

The people are great, the food is amazing, but the main draw at Sylvester Manor is the manor house. Built on the property in 1753 the manor has seen a lot through the years. Once a slave holding plantation the building has servants quarters, bedrooms and bathrooms galore, libraries on every floor, and more history than you can shake a stick at. One of the best parts are the old oil paintings straight out of a Scooby Doo episode who’s eyes follow you as you walk the hallways.

The manor is in the process of being appraised and preserved. There’s a lot of work to do and Bennett had to take off for Maine shortly after we got there so I did not have much of a chance to talk to him about it. I would love to see the manor house become a museum and destination much like Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello in Virginia.

In the middle of the vegetable beds stands a sail-less windmill formally used to grind grain using nature to power the grind stones. Only three of the four original sails remain in storage. In order for the windmill to come back into production all four sails have to be rebuilt in order to properly balance them. The funds are not there yet but there are talks and hopes of bringing the windmill back into commission.

Sylvester Manor has a ton of potential. Again, Bennett was traveling during most of my trip so I do not know what his plans are for the future. I have a few things in mind and perhaps someday he and I can sit together over a cup of coffee and discuss what he has planned.

On a trip note:

Fantastic both traveling with Kate, and being able to stay in one place for more time. Kate handles the camera very well and it’s nice to have someone else to take pictures as I ask questions. She’s becoming a heck of a farmer and isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. I do not think either of us were big fans of tying up tomato plants in the heat and humidity, but we were happy to be outside.

Staying in one place for more than a few days was great. It gave me some time to relax, take more time with pictures, treat the random stomach bug I got while there, relax a little, get to know the people more, enjoy the area, and get to know the farm.

Every farm I visit helps me narrow my vision of what I want my farm to be. I have a lot of ideas and the vision is ever growing and changing. Sylvester Manor pretty much exemplifies my perfect scenario. A lot of property, a few acres in vegetable production, starting poultry, Northeast location, beginning NPO as educational center, lots of buildings in need of restoration and repair, barns to set up a wood working shop, beautiful scenery, wonderful bike riding, and close proximity to water.

We enjoyed our trip and hope that it was not the last time we are able to visit.

Here’s to Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs for helping support Kate and I on our trip. Their eggs are in our fridge even as I write this.

With 145 miles to cover in between farms I had a lot of cycling to do.  After 87 miles I stayed at Whetstone Gulf State Park for a night. Built a fire, cooked on my stove, stayed in a tent. The next day I had breakfast at Lloyd’s of Lowville and continued my 58 mile day to Beartown Farm in Anywerp, NY.

Gene Lamothe, owner and farmer, is a retired pilot turned grass-fed guru in the rolling hills of upstate New York. He retired on to 1000 acres with his wife Veronica where, along with his son Guy and whatever volunteers stay on the farm work several hundred head of cattle, around 600 sheep, horses, and some chickens. All the animals are grass fed and managed organically, even though Gene is not organic certified.

Gene took advantage of the changing times and hit it right when it came to his property. In the consolidation of the multitude of dairy farms into the few “mega-dairies” there was a lot of land, barns, and tractors left over in up state New York. Land prices were cheap (they have since gone up but still comparatively not bad), there’s a bunch of old tractors, and Gene needed somewhere to retire. He purchased a few old dairy farms and turned them to a grass fed livestock farm.

While there I got to sample the beef and the lamb, it’s pretty amazing. Gene has beef coming out of everywhere! What he needs is a market. He’s looking to sell in New York City but he needs a contact here. If you need some grass-fed lamb or beef or know someone who does you can contact Gene and Veronica through their website at http://beartownfarms.com/.

Gene had a lot of good advice for me, the aspiring farmer. One thing that made a lot of sense, and I pass it on to any others looking to get into farming, don’t get caught up with a lot of debt right off the bat. It seems common sense, but it’s easy to bury yourself in debt really quickly. There’s land, buildings, equipment, transportation, marketing. It can be done cheaply if you’re careful, but the costs mount if you’re not.  Instead lease land or work on another farm to make sure you like the lifestyle and are ready for the work, and it’s a lot of work. See if you can find a “lease to buy” situation where, if you’re on it for a few years you can opt into buying the land. That and start small. Start small, grow slowly.

A big hello to Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs who helped out with the trip.

It was a hilly, headwindy (is that a word?), hot, 97 mile ride from Ghent to the Ortensi Farm in Richfield Springs, NY. I got an early start to the day and pushed through it with rain in the forecast in the afternoon. I made it almost the entire way without a drop of rain, but ran into a downpour for the last mile and a half. Literally the toughest day of riding in my life to date.

Bleary fatigue I was greeted by the spirited Bernadette (Berni) Ortensi. “YOU MADE IT!” I wasn’t sure if I was at the right address at first and a wave of relief crashed into me when I heard her welcome. In out of the rain I was immediately befriended and the bleariness turned to smiles and laughter.

The main crop at the Ortensi Farm is hay. Their hay reaches far and wide providing supplemental nutrition to animals all over the North East. 200 bales of hay fit in their trailer, I know because I helped pack it to the brim. They are building a cattle herd for meat, they have horses for riding and teaching, laying hens, meat birds, turkeys, and sheep. They grow vegetables, and are starting to plant grain on their fields.

Berni knows her way around a horse and she was happy to teach this cyclist how to ride, even after she got back from a long day of delivering hay. We went for a tour of the property and I got to see the extent to which the hay fields grew and where they gave way to woodland.

Woodlands are very important to have on your farm, or any land in general. It creates habitat for birds and other natural predators that will help with pests, it helps with erosion control and wind, and a good place to hunt for mushrooms. Not to mention a place for livestock to get out of the elements.

Many parts of the farm are in transition, including the fields. The barns are being rebuilt and fixed up, the cattle herd is growing, the fields are becoming more for grain and pasture, and the house is reaching the final stages from old farm house with awful layout to renovated farm house that is comfortable and welcoming. It is a great real life representation of the move back to sustainable and responsible farming, animal husbandry, and land stewardship.

Cheers to Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs! They helped to sponsor the trip to Canada.

First stop on the bike ride to Canada was at Grazin’ Angus Acres in Ghent, NY. I was met by owner Dan Gibson former marketing and finance guru turned cattle farmer. Much like it’s owner, the farm at GAA has gone through a lifestyle change as well. Like a lot of smaller dairy farms in New York, dairy moved out with the tide of “get big or get out” Farm Bill policy and went fallow (out of use). Once a conventional dairy, GAA is now a strictly grass fed Angus beef cattle farm that also produces some of the best eggs and chickens in the state.

I am starting to pride myself with my writing abilities, at least where I’m the only editor. But when I can I would much rather let the farmer tell you their story. Here’s an interview Dan did with MSNBC that gives you the low-down on the farm. I promise it’s not that long.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

So, how did I like spending time with the folks at GAA? I could not have been any more impressed or felt any more welcomed.  Within a few minutes of being there I had my hands in a tub of cold water containing freshly “processed” chickens that were killed and cleaned that day. Regretfully I came just in time to miss every thing except the last step of drying, bagging, and tagging.

While there I learned a lot about cattle from GAA business partner and cattle whizz Jim Stark. The man knows his animals and is passionate about their health, welfare, and happiness up until the moment they go to slaughter. After all, happy cows are tasty cows!

Here’s the trailer for a new documentary “Green Beef: A Story of Grass Fed Beef” put together by Michael Crupain. That gives you a brief view on beef.

Green Beef: A Story of Grass Fed Beef from TheDairyShow.Com on Vimeo.

Let’s face it, American’s love beef. We eat way more than we really should. I’m no vegetarian, I am a true Omnivore, but I want know the beef I am eating is the healthiest and best I can get. If getting great meat is more expensive because it hasn’t been subsidized by the government, then so be it, I’ll eat less.

GAA sequesters more carbon than it creates with all the carefully tended grass pasture. In the process they produce a superior product. I’ve seen it for myself, I am a true believer in beef and poultry produced in a sustainable, responsible, and healthy manner.

Where does your meat come from?