From Farm to Table; Multi-generational farm keeps focus on organic and local

[By Wendy Post]

In 1981, Lisa and Kevin Engelbert began farming organically at their family’s farm, located at Sunnyside Road and along West River Road in Nichols, New York. The farm, which has remained in the family since 1911, making it a true family farm operation, was the first in the nation to become a certified organic dairy farm.

Now the fifth generation of this family farm at the current location, Lisa and Kevin began farming the property and raising their family there after college and getting married. They began farming organically in 1981, and were certified organic by 1984 by Vermont Organic Farmers, or NOFA VT.

For Lisa, the concept of organic was to produce healthier food and provide better options for the table. 

At Engelbert Farms Organic, LLC, no chemicals are used in the fields, zero antibiotics or hormones are utilized on the animals, and the feed is primarily haylage, supplemented with organic grains. The farm raises all of its feed, and there are no animal by-products or growth promoters.

The pigs are raised outdoors in a similar fashion, with what the farm describes as having “room to be pigs.” Their diet includes organic grain, milk, hay, and vegetable scraps, a likely favorite.

As the farm and the family grew, so did the popularity of buying and eating local. By 2009, the Engelberts were running a farm store at their Sunnyside Road location. 

But as time went on, sons Joe and John became old enough and started to take over the farm. Also, at that time, they bought the old creamery building at 263 W. River Rd. Just down the road, it has been refurbished into a functional farm store with a commercial kitchen. Lisa opened the store in March 2019.

“I have always wanted to sell my products directly to the public,” said Lisa, adding, “and I want one location.”

Situated in the old Borden Creamery building, and with handicapped accessibility, the Engelbert Farms Store and Creamery offers fresh products from the farm, its own milk, and a variety of other products; some are produced at their farm, while others come from neighboring farms. 

As an example, Lisa acquires raised chickens through Back Acres Farm in Rome, Pennsylvania, for the store. The chickens are raised on organic feed and then processed locally at Jordan Farms in Nichols, New York.

Honey sold at the store comes from T. Babcock in Nichols, New York, and the syrup arrives from down the road at Hamley’s in Barton.

For the coffee connoisseur, the store carries organic beans from Seneca Sunrise out of Watkins Glen. Tea lovers can enjoy the Cuppa Creations blend of teas, all from Ulster, Pennsylvania. The store even carries organic hand sanitizer.

Everything is organic, from the eggs to the spices to the cooking spray. 

“We want to focus on good food,” said Lisa.

The farm even has its own bottled milk now; the milk is processed and bottled at Family Farms Creamery in Ovid, N.Y., and the cheese is processed at Lively Run Dairy in Interlaken, New York.

With the commercial kitchen added to the store and creamery, Lisa can offer varied “grab and go” meals. During the cooler weather, for example, they offered soups like Italian Wedding and Chicken and Rice. Customers can complement this with a variety of goods baked with organic ingredients offered in the store. 

You can find the varying options by visiting Engelbert Farms Store and Creamery on Facebook.

Lisa is fulfilling her dream of providing good, healthy, organically produced food to the public while looking back at the family’s farming accomplishments, which include the certification.

And business at the store is steady, according to Lisa, who understands that a small farm store won’t make her rich.

“That’s not the goal,” said Lisa, adding, “I just want people to have healthy food.”

You can contact the Farm Store and Creamery by calling (607) 699-3001, by email at info@engelbertfarms.com, or by visiting www.engelbertfarms.com. You can also follow them on Facebook.