Ossining Farmers Market Hosts Meet the Farmer on SAT 8/22

This Saturday, Down to Earth Markets welcomes everyone to gather around the picnic tables at the Ossining Farmers Market to meet livestock farmer, Chris Harmon.

The Harmon family owns and operates Sunset View Farm in Otsego County, New York. They raise approximately 70 beef cattle, 200 egg layers, and 80 hogs – all these animals keep company on the farm with the family’s five dogs and three horses.

He raises heritage breed animals. For example, his cattle are Galloway Belted cows from Southern Scotland. Chris describes them as “black cows with a white stripe down the middle. They really do look like Oreos.”

Sunset View cows thrive on grass throughout their lives - they’re grass-fed to grass-finished. Similarly, the pasture-raised hogs on the farm are crosses of Tamworth, Duroc, and Hamphire breeds. Chris and his team breed all their own hogs.

In his words, “The most rewarding part of what I do is living in the life cycle of the farm. Take the cattle – they need grass to survive. They eat the grass and then fertilize it with their manure. The grass responds to their presence by growing more fully. Then we mow it down and feed it to the cattle. It’s a sustainable loop.”

Not only does Chris run Sunset View Farm in Milford, New York, but he’s also the Town Supervisor. He campaigned on a “No Fracking!” platform. Once elected, he successfully led the effort to ban fracking in Milford – a ban that predated Governor Cuomo’s statewide ban in 2014.

Stop by anytime between 9 am - 11 am on Saturday and meet this thoughtful farmer and local leader.

The Ossining Farmers Market takes place every Saturday, from 8:30 am to 1 pm, and features fresh produce, meats, poultry, breads, cheese, baked goods, prepared foods to go, and much more. Enjoy the market in the heart of Ossining, downtown at the corner of Spring and Main Streets. Thank you for supporting local farmers and food makers!