Grassmere Farm
Among the rolling hills and sweeping river valleys of Central New York, this farm has been in production since at least 1890. When we took over management in 2022, we knew the best practices for us would be close to how it was farmed over a century ago, with animals out on the landscape, as opposed to animals in confinement like most meat production today.
We selected heritage breeds of cows and pigs that could do what they’re meant to do, and turn the abundance of grass in our pastures into the highest quality beef and pork for our customers.
better for them, better for you
Animals on Pasture
We rotationally graze our animals across 170 acres of pasture and forest. Regularly moved to fresh grass, our animals are always on highly nutritious forage, and the previously grazed areas get plenty of time to rest and recover. With long recovery periods, the plants are able to grow deeper root systems, the manure left behind gets returned to the soil, and soil health and structure are greatly improved.
The animals only come back around once the grass has fully recovered and are now grazing healthier plants because of it, restarting the cycle.
Heritage Breeds
American Milking Devon Cows
A tri-purpose breed, these animals have been raised for dairy, beef, and oxen since they were the first cows brought to America back in 1623. Because they’ve never been bred to specialize for a single purpose like most breeds, they are extraordinarily well rounded animals that have been thriving on American pastures for over 400 years. These cows are uniquely adapted to produce a well marbled, fine grained, and juicy beef on grass alone. All of the beef we sell comes from our herd of American Devons and American Devon crosses.
Berkshire Pigs
Berkshire pigs are widely regarded as the best tasting pork on the market. These pigs produce a deeper red colored flesh than industrial pork, with intricate marbling that more resembles beef than the pork you might be used to seeing. Raised in the edge habitat between our forests and pastures, these pigs are living large on all the grasses, grubs, nuts, and roots the land has to offer, making for a truly better tasting pork. We only sell Berkshire pork from our herd raised on the farm.
Sustainable Management
Because of the unique properties of these breeds, we are able to produce high quality beef and pork in a sustainable manner, in a way that actually improves the land it’s done on.
Running a pasture based system means every decision we make needs to be in the best interest of the land. Without healthy soil, we don’t have healthy grass, we don’t have food for our cows, and we don’t have food for our customers. This means every decision is made from the ground up, literally. The number one goal has to be to put the greatest amount of organic matter and carbon back into the soil, actually building soil in the process of producing meat for our customers
You can shop comfortably knowing your food is coming from healthy animals, on healthy land, from a farm who cares about it.