“But good farming is first and last an art, a way of doing and making that involves human histories, cultures, minds, hearts, and souls.” Wendell Berry
For the past two centuries, America’s farms have turned toward large industrial agribusiness, aiming to maximize profits and production, using harsh chemicals and fertilizers with a disregard for climate, soil, water, humans and animals. Many smaller independent farmers have retired without successors, as their children pursue easier and more lucrative careers.
Fortunately, there has been an emergence of younger farmers, who have moved away from the mass-produced food industry, making people, once again, a priority over corporations.
Sustainable farming focuses on the local countryside, people and their needs: providing healthier food options, bringing community together by celebrating and educating people about the importance of healthy, locally sourced food and growing practices.
Two specific farms here in Easton, that aspire to the techniques of sustainable farming are Sport Hill Farm and Shaggy Coos Farm.
Patti Popp and her husband Al Popp of Sport Hill Farm, moved to Easton in 1997. They immediately fell in love with a dilapidated 1740 farmhouse and with the land. In 2000, they began clearing the land to begin a vegetable farm.
They immediately fell in love with a dilapidated 1740 home and with the land. In 2000, they began clearing the land to begin a vegetable farm.
They were both self-taught farmers and thankful for other seasoned Easton farmers like Johan van Achterberg and Sal Gilbertie, who were always open to helping and guiding them through some learning obstacles. To this day sustainable farming has been an important part of the Popp’s farming practices.
“When crops do well we share with our community by offering sales and donate to different organizations,” said Patti Popp. “Currently, our delicious butternut squash and spaghetti squash is just .99 cents a pound. When nature is kind to us, we share by offering pricing accessible to all. Financially it may not be what we were expecting, but all the time, labor and love that goes into growing crops, seed to harvest, I rather see people enjoy it at a lower cost than to compost it.
“Our farm pretty much grows all your traditional vegetables in their season. Purchasing it in our market, it’s freshly harvested within 24 hours from our fields to your plate,” says Popp.
Providing locally grown healthy produce and bringing community together has been the Popp’s priority for 23 years. In their early days of farming, they hosted a farm camp with the Unquowa School in Fairfield. They still enjoy welcoming groups and schools in the spring for field trips and hands-on learning.
During the pandemic, Patti and Al started an outdoor flea market that supports other local small businesses. They also host a local pizza truck on the farm, Thursday nights from 4-6 p.m in the summer.
Sport Hill is mainly a vegetable farm, but they do have chickens for eggs.
They carry freshly harvest popping corn in the fall. They also sell honey from hives located on the three properties that they farm and sponsor a yearly cash crop. Registration for the cash crop program begins in February.
When the Brady family of Shaggy Coos Farm, moved away from Easton five years ago, Brittany and Jake Conover moved into the farm property, trying to change it from more of a hobby based farm to a full time business. Their aspiration, like the Popp’s, has been to be as sustainable and least impactful as possible on the environment.
“We take pride in dairy that has a zero mile carbon footprint, as well as a farm store that is run off of solar panels. In addition, we are happy to have a variety of meats that are raised on the farm and processed locally, again to keep the impact on our environment low,” says Jake Conover.
Their poultry, eggs and pork also come directly from their farm. Their beef comes from a farm in Terryville, CT, which means it is extremely fresh. They also have horses, ducks and goats, roaming around their property.
Good News! Jake, Brittany and son Kip will be welcoming another gardener on the scene any day now!
Shaggy Coos is one of the only operating dairy farms in Connecticut. The dairy products they sell at their farm store are directly sourced from their cows, traveling zero miles to get from the farm to the customer. They make delicious white, chocolate, strawberry and maple, whole milk (pasteurized, but not homogenized).
They also make several flavors of Gelato, including strawberry and chocolate, and on occasion, orange cream gelato.
** Please note that since this article has been published, the Conovers welcome their new baby farmer and Kip’s little sister, Rodi Lindsey! Good luck to them, and thanks to all the farms in town, and all that they do for our community!
The Cultural Easton 