Episode 126: Shelterbelt Farm with Erica Frenay

Shelterbelt Farm is owned and managed by Craig and Erica and their young children Rowan and Phoenix. Started as a homestead in 2005, 2010 was their first year of operation as an official farm. The farm is located in the scenic rolling hills of Caroline, NY, in the Finger Lakes region just southeast of Ithaca. It is home to three generations of Modishers, and pigs, chickens, turkeys, bees, and geese. Next year Craig and Erica will add 100% grass-fed cattle and goats, and eventually produce greens through the winter in unheated hoophouses. Craig and Erica are passionate about regenerating the health of the land and their customers, by managing animals in a way that builds soil and plant diversity, provides a low-stress, happy life for the livestock, and produces nourishing pasture-raised meats. All-natural production practices, superior taste and quality, and good environmental stewardship go hand-in-hand. Craig also runs Ironwood Builders with his business partners, and Erica works at the Cornell Small Farms Program as the co-manager of the Northeast Beginning Farmer Project. This program has been sponsored by Hearst Ranch. “When you’re homesteading you don’t have to worry about enterprise budgets, profits, efficiency or scale. These are some of the issues we’ve been dealing with since we began commercial farming.” [6:32] — Erica Frenay on Greenhorn Radio See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.