Candor, NY, Tioga County
Acres Available
Open Tillable Acres
Wooded (or other) Acres
Condition & Current Use
Hilltop Community Farm is owned and operated by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tioga County. We are seeking beginning farmers to join us at our farm incubator for a term of three years. We offer growers a half acre field of Mardin soils that is protected by an 8' deer fence and has irrigation. The farm has a cooler and a wash station as well. We offer livestock farmers 10 acres of pasture surrounded by a hot wire fence as well as some space in the livestock barn. At full capacity, we will have 8-9 farmers at Hilltop Community Farm. We support our farmers by giving them access to online courses through Cornell Small Farms and direct support and mentoring from our staff and other CCE experts and mentor farmers. If you are interested in becoming a farmer at Hilltop Community Farm, please reach out to us and we will gladly give you a tour of our farm.
Soil Types
Farm History & Past Use
Farm was a dairy farm, and then became an equine facility prior to becoming an incubator farm.
Tenure Options
The incubator farmers have up to three years tenure at Hilltop Community Farm. We will help you in your journey to find land to own or lease after your tenure is complete.
Are you willing to mentor a new or beginning farmer?
Do you require a farmer who qualifies for agricultural assessment?
Production Preferences
Livestock / Crops Description
Our incubator farm is best suited to livestock farmers who wish to raise small ruminants in a rotational grazing pasture. If you wish to raise a species other than sheep or goats, that may be acceptable depending on how you plan to raise the animals.
Our crop growers are free to grow whatever crop they wish (sorry, no high THC cannabis) on their field. There may be a great opportunity for folks who wish to grow nursery stock as well.
Crops Permitted
Livestock Permitted
Preferred Farming Method
Farm Infrastructure
Equipment
We have a 40 hp tractor and several implements: flail mower, power harrow, disk, plow, brush hog, etc. We have a 24' by 90' greenhouse and will build a high tunnel of the same size in the later part of 2023.
We plan to build a walk in cooler and wash station in the summer of 2023.
Fencing
Crop field: 8' field fence to keep out deer
Livestock fields: 5 strand hot wire Timeless fence Two 10 acre pastures are currently fenced with 5 strand electric fence. You would provide portable electric fencing and an energizer.
Water Access
Crop fields has a hydrant access for farmers to hook up their drip tape to. Water access in the livestock barn.
Additional Property Information
Hilltop Community Farm is a community resource, so the public is invited onto the farm for various activities. You should be fine with tours and visits--we will have a strong biosecurity protocol for the livestock areas. The farm's vision is to showcase regenerative agricultural techniques, so your production methods should reflect this vision.