Goodness From The Grass Up: Misty Brook Farm, MA

What does it mean these days to start a farm from SCRATCH? Who are the bootstrappers?, those who pull up their businesses from their own resources, ingenuity, and small bit o' capital, combined with a heaping does of PASSION?

Brendan and Katia Holmes epitomize bootstrappers- they are first generation farmers working to produce quality, organic food in central Massachusetts- an area with expensive land and a dwindling number of commercial farmers.  Raw milk from their herd of 25 Jersey cows is the backbone of their business, not only generating the majority of their revenues but also dictating the management of most the land they rent- over 200 acres on 14 different properties!  It takes that much land to run a truly grass-based dairy and to grow, harvest, and put up all the forages the cows will need when a blanket of snow covers all their fields.

The sound of their dairy cows rushing into their new 12 hour pasture, tearing off a mouthful of tall, succulent grasses and clovers, barely pausing to chew a bit before they wrapped their lips around the next clump, was almost deafening.  If cows could squeel with excitement like pigs, we would have needed ear plugs.  You can see some of that beautiful grass in the picture above with a proud farmer showing off her Jersey genetics.  It takes Katia or Brendon only 15 minutes or so to set up a new fenced pasture, move over the water trough with a float valve for automatic filling, and open the gate for the anxious cows behind it.  As a result of their high-intensity, short-duration grazing they have turned once overgrazed and overhayed pastures into species rich, verdant, and most importantly- nutrious forage for their 100% grassfed cows.  You read that right- Misty Brook's cows are fed exclusively on green forage either when it's growing in their fields for 7 or so months of the year or with stored baylage, silage, or hay that they try to put up all on their own.  Their cows looked healthy, not 'ribby' like many grassfed cows I have seen on this trip, and their rich milk has a golden color from their plant rich diets. Jack Lazor, their former employer and mentor from Butterworks Farm in Vermont, would be proud.

In addition to milk and cheese, they produce beef, pork, eggs, broilers, grains, and vegetables, all certified organic.  They sell most of their goods through CSA, including a new All-You-Can-Eat whole diet CSA, and a self-serve farm store.  And they do this all on rented land.  Hopefuly one day that will change- this is one farm that Massachusetts is lucky to have around producing healthy organic (& biodynamically) grown foods.

Here is our inspiring interview below:

MistyBrookFarm8.11.11

 

Comments

[Rebecca T. of Honestmeat]

Throwback- I would disagree with your BCS assessment, which you can't properly do from one photo. You need to look at the side and the back too. From the UC-Davis Dairy Cow BCS assessment I found on-line, I would venture to guess this cow is closer to a 2.25 or 2.5. In addition, these cows had very low somatic cell counts, clean shiny coats, bright eyes, & amazing milk quality. In fact, I have never had raw milk that tasted this good, plus it lasted over two weeks in our fridge. It is good to keep in mind that grass-based dairies put their animals out on pasture when it is in season and then usually provide hay, silage, & baylage in the off season. So the diet will vary throughout the year, as will their body condition.

[Throwback at Trapper Creek]

This cow looks very thin, a body condition score of 1. Hopefully she isn't representative of the herd. High protein, low energy pastures like that in the photo produce lots of milk but don't meet the needs of the cow.

Here's a link on BCS scoring that has photos and is very helpful.
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/dairy/facts/00-109.htm

We've been enjoying your cross country writings.

[Walter Jeffries]

Good to see their success. Hard to be renting land - that I do not envy.

There are a lot of new farmers doing it from scratch. We did. Not many make it in the long term but the same is true of any business - most don't survive even a few years due to a combination of insufficient funding, change in interests, underestimating what it will take (lack of a business plan), lack of sticking to it, etc.

It is hard to make a new business work and sometimes people simply find they didn't really want to do it, they had a romantic notion of what it would be like but later realized that really wasn't their stick. Any business is a lot more than a 9-to-5 job and that just isn't for most people. Those who have the drive to make it happen, to dedicate themselves to it are the best candidates for starting something new from scratch. That will mean sacrifice in other parts of their lives, trade offs, choices. We find it worth it.

Our nation needs more new farmers doing it from scratch to replace all the lost farms but we also need to remember that it is okay to try things, to dabble. Not every venture has to succeed long term. There seems to be a horror that anyone ever fails. Rather think of it as they tried and explored.

Meanwhile, I'm glad to see one more new farmer making it successfully. Congrats to Misty Brook Farm.