Pre-med
student becomes a small sustainable farmer: this is Tom Hart’s journey. Some might find this to be a strange
transition but Hart is a lover of food so it was perfectly natural for him. Somewhere along the way, as an upperclassman
in Boston, he began purchasing ingredients away from the conventional grocery
stores. He declared: “Everything just
tasted so much better.”
Then he read
it, Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma. He said, “Whole Foods, my go-to place for
groceries, was ruined for me.” He
realized then that he could make a real difference as a farmer and his vision
for the future changed. Tom Hart could
be part of the change to America’s agriculture system.
He embraced
the ideas of Pollan, Wendell Berry, and farmers like Joel Salatin of Polyface
Farm in Swoop, Virginia. Hart envisioned
creating a farm on the North Fork of Long Island, similar to Polyface, one that
works on a rotation system of ecological and sustainable practices.
A “Whole Farm”
or “Mixed Farm” concept is one where land plots are used both for a variety of
produce and for the livestock. The land
is able to gain benefit from the diversity instead of being drained of
nutrients; the theory is that this leads to a better final farm product with
less ecological impact.
After leaving thoughts
of medical school behind, Hart sought apprenticeship opportunities so he could work
towards making his dream into a reality.
These foundational apprenticeships included two small sustainable and
certified organic farms. Biophilia Farm, where he learned about growing seasons
and practices on their 14-acre produce farm, and Browder’s Birds raising pastured
meat and egg chickens through the lifecycle from chicks to market
Tom Hart
founded deep Roots Farm in the spring of 2012.
He has been able to create a farm of diversity in the very first season.
Along with heirloom-variety vegetables grown with sustainable eco agriculture,
they are also raising a good variety of pastured animals. Tamworth hogs, broiler meat chickens, egg
layers, and broad-breasted turkeys are in the plot rotation at the farm.
Hart’s farm is
not organic at this point, but he talked about transitioning his leased fields
to become certified by NOFA (Northeast Organic Farming Association). He does not anticipate seeking the same
certifications for the livestock however. He said, “While I do feed the animals organic
feed, I also feed them byproducts from the local brewery and vegetables that
are donated from a conventional farm neighbor. It is more important to me to use this local
waste for a good purpose.”
So, what did
Tom Hart learn in his first year of farming his own operation? “I learned how helpful people are; there was
always someone around to lend a hand on processing days. Everyone has been
great,” he said. He also learned some
logistical lessons about being more diligent with cover crops, and how weeds
can really just take over so very quickly. He learned that the equipment he started the
season off with is going to need a tiller upgrade; he was so sure that his
tractor was all set up.
Hart said, “One
of the things that surprised me the most was how much gasoline I used just
going back and forth from home to the farm and to market, I really
underestimated that.”
What will be
new for Deep Roots next year? Well, a
more efficient run-around car for starters to save on the gasoline budget. Hart also mentioned re-thinking some of this selling outlets next year due to limited manpower. He
said, “I don’t think I will be able to afford to hire someone, so something might
have to go.” He is working on his 2013 crop plan now and he feels like he
learned a lot about what was growing best on his land and what was
farmer-friendly for harvesting and storage longevity.
It is
important to Hart that he not be labeled as a livestock farmer alone, which has
been a tendency of late. The raising of
animals for food is quite unique in his area and the media has been very
interested in a new wave of locavore meat producers. Hart said, “I don’t want to be known as only
a chicken farmer, what I have is a small diverse farm: animals and vegetables”
Tom Hart and
his Deep Roots Farm goods can be found in-season at Greenport and Kings Park
Farmers Markets. You can also visit his
facebook page for more information: www.facebook.com/deeprootsli.
