Preferred counties/regions
- North Country
- Capital Region
- Hudson Valley
- Mohawk Valley
- Central
- Finger Lakes
- Long Island
Desired acreage
- >100
Farming Status
Beginning farmer: 10 years or less of experience managing a farm business
Currently farming full-time
Primary reason for farming
Farm will generate the majority of my income
Farming status, plans, and practices
I have spent the past ten years building and operating a regenerative livestock farm in New Jersey, raising 100% grass-fed and finished beef and lamb, along with pasture-raised poultry. My farming practices are centered on adaptive rotational grazing, soil health, animal welfare, biodiversity, and building a farm system that improves the land over time.
I am currently looking for a new farm property because the land where I have been farming is no longer available to me for the long-term future of the business. My goal is to find a property where I can continue the farming systems I have spent the last decade developing and, importantly, have the security of tenure necessary to invest in the land for the long term.
Ideally, I am looking for approximately 200–300+ acres in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, or the surrounding Northeast, with a significant amount of grazeable acreage. I am open to purchasing, leasing, lease-to-own arrangements, partnerships with landowners, or other creative arrangements that provide long-term stability.
My primary focus is regenerative livestock production using managed grazing. Cattle and sheep are moved frequently through smaller paddocks to allow adequate recovery periods, improve forage utilization, distribute fertility, protect soil, and build organic matter. I am also interested in continuing to develop silvopasture, integrating trees, livestock, and forage to provide shade and shelter for animals while creating additional ecological and agricultural value.
At my current farm, I have worked with conservation professionals and agricultural organizations on grazing infrastructure, water systems, fencing, soil health, silvopasture, pollinator habitat, and other conservation practices. I have also pursued third-party regenerative, grass-fed, and animal-welfare certifications.
I am not looking simply for acreage to keep animals. I am looking for land where I can build a financially viable working farm while continuing the regenerative work I have already begun. The right property would allow me to combine livestock production, conservation, direct and wholesale markets, and eventually education and opportunities for other farmers and members of the community to see regenerative agriculture working at a commercial scale.
I bring ten years of hands-on farm ownership and management experience, an established customer and wholesale network, relationships throughout the regional agricultural community, and a professional culinary background that gives me a strong understanding of both agricultural production and the markets ultimately buying the food.
My long-term goal is to establish a permanent home for the farm where investments in soil, pasture, trees, water systems, fencing, and infrastructure can be made with the confidence that I will be there long enough to see those investments mature. I am particularly interested in connecting with landowners who care about keeping land in agriculture and want to see it actively managed, improved, and stewarded for the next generation.
Farm Experience & Education
- Farm owner
- Farmer training or workshop
- Farm manager
- On farm work experience
I have nearly ten years of experience owning and operating a regenerative livestock farm in New Jersey, with responsibility for all aspects of the operation, including livestock management, grazing planning, pasture improvement, infrastructure, budgeting, sales, processing coordination, regulatory requirements, and long-term farm planning.
My farming experience has been largely hands-on. I have raised grass-fed and finished cattle and sheep and pasture-raised poultry using rotational and adaptive grazing practices. I have worked extensively on pasture and soil health, fencing and water infrastructure, silvopasture, pollinator habitat, and conservation projects. I have also worked closely with NRCS, conservation organizations, agricultural consultants, veterinarians, processors, fellow farmers, and other agricultural professionals.
I have pursued continuing education throughout my farming career, particularly in regenerative agriculture, grazing management, soil health, livestock production, and farm business management. Much of my agricultural education has come through a combination of formal programs, technical assistance, mentorship from experienced farmers and grazing professionals, and nearly a decade of learning directly from managing livestock and land.
Before becoming a farmer, I built a career in food and hospitality. I am a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and have more than 25 years of professional culinary experience, including work as a chef and culinary educator. That background has been particularly valuable in farming because I understand the entire food chain—from raising an animal and managing the land to processing, distribution, cooking, and ultimately selling food to consumers, chefs, retailers, and wholesale customers.
My experience has taught me that successful farming requires much more than knowing how to raise livestock. It requires understanding land, animals, markets, finances, infrastructure, relationships, and the realities of running a small agricultural business. I bring that combination of practical farming experience, food-system knowledge, business experience, and a commitment to continuing to learn.
Farming Plans and Practices
Farming method or practice
- Organic (not certified)
- Regenerative/Sustainable
Primary crops
-
Vegetables
Primary livestock
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Cattle - Beef
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Equine
-
Goats/Sheep
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Bees
Hereford angus cross
meat goats
salad greens
micro greens
honey
Marketing Method
I use a diversified marketing strategy that combines direct-to-consumer, wholesale, restaurant, institutional, and specialty food markets. Over the years, I have built relationships with individual customers, chefs, butchers, retailers, distributors, and other food businesses throughout New Jersey and the greater New York metropolitan region.
Direct-to-consumer sales include individual cuts, bulk meat packages, seasonal poultry, and farm-direct orders. Wholesale sales focus primarily on grass-fed and finished beef and lamb sold to butchers, restaurants, specialty food businesses, and other regional buyers. I have also worked to develop institutional markets, including healthcare and food-service organizations interested in sourcing local and regeneratively raised meat.
My background as a professional chef has been an important part of my marketing approach. I understand how chefs and food-service buyers purchase, portion, price, and use meat, which allows me to communicate directly with buyers and develop markets for the entire animal rather than relying only on premium cuts.
I believe strongly in relationship-based marketing. My goal is to build long-term customers who understand how the animals are raised, why regenerative farming matters, and the value of keeping more of the food dollar within regional farms and food systems.
As the farm grows, I plan to continue expanding wholesale and institutional relationships while maintaining a strong direct connection with consumers. Developing markets for the whole animal and creating dependable, repeat purchasing relationships are central to building a financially sustainable livestock operation.
Farm business plan or farm resume
Farmland Needs
Infrastructure required
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Barns - Livestock
-
Electrical access
-
Farmer housing
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Fencing
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Water access
My current farming operation has required a combination of permanent and portable infrastructure designed around rotational grazing and livestock management. This includes perimeter and temporary electric fencing, portable paddock systems, livestock watering systems, wells and water distribution, portable troughs, livestock handling facilities, a scale, animal shelters, and equipment for moving and managing cattle and sheep.
Because I use adaptive rotational grazing, much of the infrastructure is intentionally flexible. Portable fencing and watering systems allow animals to be moved frequently and grazing areas to be adjusted based on forage conditions, weather, animal needs, and pasture recovery.
I have experience planning and installing grazing infrastructure and working with NRCS and other conservation professionals on water systems, fencing, pasture management, silvopasture, livestock exclusion areas, and conservation improvements.
For a future property, the most important infrastructure needs are reliable year-round water, adequate perimeter fencing or the ability to install it, livestock handling and loading facilities, equipment and hay storage, and winter shelter or suitable areas for winter livestock management. Existing barns and agricultural buildings would be valuable, but I am comfortable improving or developing infrastructure over time.
My goal is to establish infrastructure that supports efficient livestock movement and handling while protecting soil, water, pasture, and the long-term health of the farm.
Desired Tenure
My preference is to purchase a farm or enter into a long-term arrangement that provides a clear path toward ownership. I am also open to a long-term lease, lease-to-own agreement, partnership with a landowner, or other creative tenure arrangement that provides sufficient stability to operate and invest in the farm.
Because regenerative agriculture requires long-term investment in soil health, pasture, fencing, water systems, trees, and other infrastructure, security of tenure is particularly important to me. I am looking for a property where I can make those investments knowing I will have enough time to realize both their agricultural and ecological benefits.
I am very open to working with a landowner who wants to keep their property in active agriculture and is looking for an experienced farmer to steward and improve the land. Ultimately, I am seeking a long-term home for the farm where both the agricultural business and the land can thrive.
