At Hunger Moon Farm we choose better over easier.
Pasture-raised livestock takes time and intention. From observing the soil and landscape to moving fences every day to caring for our animals, our work is a constant conversation with the environment.
In the eyes of conventional agribusiness, it may not be as “efficient” as keeping animals in a concrete floored barn, but we know different…
We know that true sustainability comes from cycles, not stagnation.
Nutritious and flavorful meat doesn’t come from animals confined inside, it comes from goats browsing, cows grazing, chickens and ducks foraging out in the fresh air and sunshine.
At the end of the day, taking the time to farm sustainably creates the kind of ecosystem efficiency that can’t be replicated through industry.
And that’s what the Real. Good. Food. we produce is all about:
a tangible relationship with the land, animals, and community.
Real is knowing who grew your food and how it was raised.
Good is sitting down at the end of the day and seeing how the care we give to our livestock cycles back to the earth as grazing animals help regenerate soil and create resilient ecosystems.
Food — well, go ahead and taste the pasture-raised difference. We think you’ll be asking for seconds.
About The Farmers
Colton
A Wisconsin native, my farming career began in the ginseng gardens of Marathon County.
After graduating from the University of Minnesota with a B.S. in Environmental Science, I worked on a Watershed Restoration and Protection project at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
The firsthand experience collecting and testing water samples from Minnesota’s agricultural watersheds led me on a journey to learn more about farming and how it impacts not only water quality, but whole ecosystems.
I felt a calling to join the front line, to learn how people were farming and why, with the dream of one day having a farm of my own.
I learned about subsistence agriculture as an Agroforestry Peace Corps Volunteer in The Gambia. I grew vegetables for two years at Loon Organics, an organic vegetable farm in Minnesota. Currently, I am learning about rotational grazing and animal husbandry in Vermont where I work in the parlor and pasture of Stony Pond Farm, an organic seasonal dairy. I spend the winter off season in the woods of Riverbend Farm producing delicious organic maple syrup and chasing powder turns at Jay Peak.
Working with other farmers on different types of operations has helped me dream of what I want for Hunger Moon Farm, and with the gracious help of Stony Pond Farm it’s becoming a reality.
Dani
I grew up in rural Minnesota surrounded by farms. Sprawling corn and soybean fields, dairies, and large poultry operations lined the roads I travelled daily, yet I really had no understanding of the food system, nor did I ever even think about it. The food pyramid was pretty much the extent of my nutritional education, and for much of my life I gave little thought to what I was consuming.
I found myself in my early 20s a college dropout, frustrated by all that seemed wrong with the world, and unsure of what I could do to make a positive impact. At some point I remembered I loved to be in the kitchen putting together meals and baking when I was a kid, so I started doing that again. Wondering about the ingredients I was purchasing led me to begin learning more about the food system. A desire to be connected to the sources of my food began to grow, and I discovered that locally grown, organic vegetables and meats had better flavor, and felt better to eat. It also just felt so fulfilling to have actual relationships with the farmers around me growing my food.
Over the next decade I immersed myself in the food system. I started gardening and preserving my own food, got a little obsessed with Sally Fallon, worked in restaurants and bars as a waitress and bartender, had a couple barista gigs, joined a food co-op where I eventually became the produce manager, spent a few seasons as a working member at a vegetable CSA farm, worked for a baker, and nowadays get to milk a lovely herd of cows and help make delicious cheese from their milk.
Today I am very grateful to find myself living in Vermont on a beautiful dairy farm where the wonderful people and animals generously share their space and resources with Colton and me, our dog and cat, laying hens, meat birds, and herd of goats.
Connecting with the sources of my food, putting my hands in the dirt, and tuning in to the beauty, cycles, and miracles of nature has been a wonderful, healing adventure that continues today-I never imagined when it began that I would be a farmer one day. It is a privilege and an honor to be among the ranks of America’s family farms, and a pleasure to provide food for my family and community. It’s a dream come true to feed people and my hope and prayer that more and more people have access to real, good food.