Phil Brand worked for Brookford Farm on their leased property in Rollinsford NH. When Brookford moved to a new location, Phil and his wife, Becky, decided to lease the property and start their own farm.

 

“We wanted to start a business and decided to go for it,” Becky explains. “We were young, naive and excited, and we jumped in head first. The owner and her family have now become like family to us.”

 

“We both enjoy working outside and building community around food,” she continues. “It’s exciting to make a living by producing delicious food. The farm is a living, breathing part of our lives. Land stewardship and being a part of this amazing place is a big part of why we’re here.”

 

Phil and Becky lease 250 acres for pasture and hay land and two acres for their garden, high tunnels and greenhouse. They raise hearty vegetables like carrots, beets, cabbage, onions, garlic and winter squash for storage. They also raise summer vegetables like tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, summer squash and zucchini.

 

“All our plants are certified organic through NHDAMF,” Becky states. “We also raise pork, grass-fed beef and eggs. We raise about 40 pigs a year on field edges three seasons of the year, and we feed them non-GMO grain along with produce salvages. We have about 60 cows of different breeds that are raised on pasture and 100% grass fed including hay silage through the winter. We make all our own feed for the cows right on the property. It’s important to us that our animals are well cared for.”

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Phil and Becky sell their produce through their self-service farm store in Rollinsford and through Three River Farmers Alliance and Veggie-Go. Three River Farmers Alliance is a NH seacoast distribution food hub serving restaurants, institutions and homes. Veggie-Go is a weekly home delivery service providing an online marketplace for locally grown or produced.

 

“Establishing a first-generation farm takes a lot of effort,” Phil admits, “but we’re so excited about the future of the farm, continuing to grow and becoming a vibrant part of this great community. The rewards of the work and the support from the community for what we do is what keeps us going.”

 

“Organic farming keeps us trying to answer the right questions,” he continues. “Like how do we produce good local food without the chemicals, GMOs and animal confinement? There are many ways to run a great farm; but for us, organic is a positive challenge that guides our vision and decision-making.”

 

“Our greatest challenge is keeping the land productive and profitable enough to sustain our family and our employees, while keeping product prices accessible. It’s something we’re continually working on.”

 

“Being a good environmental steward of the land in our care is foremost, Becky adds. “We hope we can be an inspiration to others about the value of open land and farmland.

 

“We see a bright future for small family farms, with direct marketing and establishing a connection with the farm community and farm store support being key. NOFA-NH membership helps create a community feel among New Hampshire organic farmers and provides helpful resources and classifieds.“

 

You can reach Phil or Becky at brandmoorefarm@gmail.com or visit their website at www.brandmoorefarm.com.

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—Interview and Article by Karl Johnson, Board Vice President