Reber Rock Farm Fotofeed #1: Just Getting Started

We didn’t know we were getting this view. Then we tore down the old horse and cow barns, created a colossal burn pile with the help of some large machinery, and had a training for the local fire departments. It was a bitter sweet moment, as the old infrastructure had stood for nearly 100 years, and held generations of memories and agricultural history. Yet, the reality was we need functional structures and space, which we are slowly slowly building.

Draft power is the foundation on which we are building RRF. Systems are set up so that the horses can do most of the heavy lifting, pulling and field work. Most recently, Chad and his horses, Fern and Arch towed the farm store building on skids and rollers about 400 feet, 10 feet at a time up an incline to its permanent location on Jersey Street. Check out our Facebook Page for videos of the move.

Our pigs and chickens have the life! The pigs are Yorkshire/Berkshire crosses and Large Blacks and are rotationally grazed through our pastures and woods. The broilers are on pasture as soon as they’re sturdy enough (3 weeks), we place their coops (Joel Salatin Chicken Tractor Style) in electronet and leave them propped up 24 hours a day, so they can forage whenever they like. A custom mixed organic feed ration from Green Mountain Feeds in VT supplements pasture foraging for both groups.

This season we’re trying to work through the wet to grow sunflowers for oil, black beans, sweet corn, paste tomatoes, which we’ll process locally primarily through the Grange Co-Packer.

This season we’re trying to work through the wet…

RRF is managed by Chad Vogel, Nathan Henderson and Racey Bingham. We all met working at Essex Farm a few years ago, and have now created RRF to compliment their work, fill gaps in the Essex food scape.

Reber Rock Farm is an 88-acre draft powered farm on the southern edge of the Reber Valley in Essex, NY. Using our draft horses for the majority of the field preparation, cultivation and harvesting we produce maple syrup, grassfed beef, pasture raised pork, chicken and turkey, herbs, Thanksgiving vegetables, and a variety of value added products including sunflower oil, popcorn and cornmeal, tomato sauce, dilly scapes and soap.

Enjoy the first of our Reber Rock FotoFeeds. Click on any of the images above to see the slide show and read the captions (or you can read them below.)

Reber Rock Farm View

We didn’t know we were getting this view. Then we tore down the old horse and cow barns, created a colossal burn pile with the help of some large machinery, and had a training for the local fire departments. It was a bitter sweet moment, as the old infrastructure had stood for nearly 100 years, and held generations of memories and agricultural history. Yet, the reality was we need functional structures and space, which we are slowly slowly building.

The Farmers

Reber Rock Farm is managed by Chad Vogel, Nathan Henderson and Racey Bingham. We all met working at Essex Farm a few years ago, and have now created Reber Rock Farm to compliment their work, fill gaps in the Essex food scape.

Running Start

This is our first season, and we’re trying a little bit of everything: horse powered crops, draft wood, grassfed beef, pastured poultry and pork, and value added products. Our products will all be sold in our farmstore, in local stores and through Wholeshare.

Horse Powered Crops: Sunflower and Tomatoes

This season we’re trying to work through the wet to grow sunflowers for oil, black beans, sweet corn, paste tomatoes, which we’ll process locally primarily through the Grange Co-Packer.

Pigs and Chickens and Beef

Our pigs and chickens have the life! The pigs are Yorkshire/Berkshire crosses and Large Blacks and are rotationally grazed through our pastures and woods. The broilers are on pasture as soon as they’re sturdy enough (3 weeks), we place their coops (Joel Salatin Chicken Tractor Style) in electronet and leave them propped up 24 hours a day, so they can forage whenever they like. A custom mixed organic feed ration from Green Mountain Feeds in VT supplements pasture foraging for both groups.

A mix of American Milking Devons (raised on Full and By Farm in Essex) and Herefords (from Sunset Farm in Willsboro), our beef herd eats only grass from our pastures and hay from our hay fields. As we build our herd we’ll be buying most of our steers from Sunset Farm in Willsboro where they are raised from birth on organic pasture only. We bring them to Reber Rock at 14 months old, and raise them to slaughter weight on 100% grass.

Draft Horse Power

Draft power is the foundation on which we are building Reber Rock Farm. Systems are set up so that the horses can do most of the heavy lifting, pulling and field work. Most recently, Chad and his horses, Fern and Arch towed the farm store building on skids and rollers about 400 feet, 10 feet at a time up an incline to its permanent location on Jersey Street. Check out our Facebook Page for videos of the move.

The Farm Store

The Farm store is now open for business! We’ve got whole chickens ($4.50/pound), pickled scapes ($5), frozen scapes ($3), homemade soap ($3/bar), homemade cards ($3/card), kale ($3-$4 per bunch) and a variety of maple syrup sizes. We’re always open – if you don’t see someone in the store, come find us around the farm, or call 518 572 7377. Pre-order forms for pastured pork or beef are also available in the store or on our Reber Rock Farm website at reberrockfarm.com.

Rain, Rain, Rain

Now if it would just stop raining!

Full and By Farm: Bank Barn (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
Essex Farm: Good Dog (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
Full and By Farm: Oversaturation (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
Essex Farm: Summer Tour (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)

About Reber Rock Farm

Reber Rock Farm is an 88-acre draft powered farm on the southern edge of the Reber Valley in Essex, NY. Using our draft horses for the majority of the field preparation, cultivation and harvesting we produce maple syrup, grassfed beef, pasture raised pork, chicken and turkey, herbs, Thanksgiving vegetables, and a variety of value added products including sunflower oil, popcorn and cornmeal, tomato sauce, dilly scapes and soap. Learn more at www.reberrockfarm.com and on Facebook and Twitter.