Happy February! Looks like it’s been two months to the day since I was last in your inbox. Not much has happened up here on the hill other than playing in the high tunnel on sunny days. And scheming. So much scheming. Mostly about how to bring animals back to the farm. I’ve come to the hard decision that with two littles under 3 years old, I can’t run both the animal and vegetable operations anymore. So the scheme I came up with is to clone myself and then I can be in two places at once. My backup plan is to find a business partner that wants to raise animals on this gorgeous farm! Know someone who might be interested? Please forward this to them! To facilitate forwarding, below is a little summary of generally what I’m looking for. Thanks in advance for your help spreading the word!
Hi! I’m Paul and I run Potter Hill Farm in Grafton, MA. We have historically grazed animals on the roughly 45 acres of pasture, but I currently only use an acre or so for certified organic vegetables. The farm is owned by the Grafton Land Trust with a very favorable 5 year lease. At the end of a mile-long dead end hill, with views of Worcester and Mt Wachusett, the farm is a special place to work (see pictures). I stopped raising beef and pork after our first child was born. Since our second was born this fall, I’ve ruled out getting back into meat in the foreseeable future as my wife works full-time off the farm. I did have 80 layers this season, but I am happy to pass the torch on eggs too if desired.
I would ideally like to find a motivated partner who creates their own value via raising animals here, but would also consider hiring a livestock manager as an employee. Either way, livestock experience is necessary for this position. I have a water line laid out to each field, and plenty of electric fencing and chargers. We do have an open barn that has been used to overwinter 6 beef animals and layers, but feeder beef, pigs, or chickens that don’t need to overwinter are a better fit without improvements to the barn. This would be a great opportunity to strike out on your own for someone who has been managing livestock for a couple years.
There is a strong unmet demand for local meat and eggs in our area, especially among my dedicated customers and at the Grafton Farmers Market, which doesn’t have a meat vendor.
On-farm housing is not currently available but there’s a possibility of it in the future. Please reply to paul@nullpotterhillfarm.com with any questions or if you would like to see the farm.
Oh, and go Pats…I guess.