Preferred counties/regions
- Columbia County
- Greene County
- Hudson Valley
- Dutchess County
- Ulster County
- Sullivan County
- Orange County
- Putnam County
- Westchester County
- Rockland County
Desired acreage
- 5 or fewer
Farming Status
Beginning farmer: 10 years or less of experience managing a farm business
Currently farming part-time
Primary reason for farming
Other
No personal income from the farm, but it does pay for itself year to year and, more importantly, feeds hundreds of people / is a tiny step towards a more sustainable food system.
Farming status, plans, and practices
Dancing Garlic is in its 3rd season feeding people from Sullivan and Ulster Counties to job sites across Brooklyn and Queens, NY. My current land share with Wing Ming Farm in Wallkill, NY ends this fall (both farms outgrew the space), and, with many people depending on me, I would like to be planting garlic for next year.
I use strictly organic practices (organic fertilizers and soil amendments only, zero pesticides) and care for the full ecosystem wherever I go, always choosing what my mentor Brenda Miller has called the option with the "smallest footprint, the greatest biodiversity"—minimal tillage, no single-use plastic, hand-weeding, using physical barriers or hand-removing pests and using interplanting and companion planting to attract beneficials.
The farm has operated off of as little as 700 bed-feet (4 100' beds and a 16 x 50' high tunnel) or as much as an acre, and comes with a strong support network of customers, vendors, and farming community.
Farm Experience & Education
- Farm internship/apprenticeship
- Farm owner
- Farmer training or workshop
- On farm work experience
I began farming as Hudson Valley Apprentice with Choy Division and Rise & Root Farm—a full-time position split between two diversified vegetable farms. I started Dancing Garlic in November 2023, and was a member of the 2024 Beginner Farmer Program Mentorship Cohort supported by Cornell Cooperative Extension Sullivan County (CCESC)
I also work as an apprentice heavy equipment operator for IUOE Local 15—with professional experience in machine maintenance, welding, and running a skid steer/loader, lull/forklift, and 5-ton roller on major infrastructure projects in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens—and have served as market manager for GrowNYC farmers markets since 2022.
Farming Plans and Practices
Farming method or practice
- Organic (not certified)
- Regenerative/Sustainable
Primary crops
-
Vegetables
-
Fruits
-
Flowers or Ornamentals
Primary livestock
Sample crop list can be found here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1e2oSdrt1uwEdweEhJl5xFaFHGc1ZYUN…
Marketing Method
Dancing Garlic has attended Rock Hill Farmers Market in Sullivan County for 3 years, as well as 2nd Thursday pop-ups outside Harana Market. I donate produce to Ulster County Healthy Families, Rochester Food Pantry, Two Bridges Youth Market in lower Manhattan and One Love Community Fridges in Brooklyn and Queens, NY.
Farm business plan or farm resume
Farmland Needs
Infrastructure required
-
Water access
Need to have:
water access for irrigation/ washing produce
Nice to have:
fencing, electrical access, bathroom
Desired Tenure
I would be open to a lease, business partnership, or to purchasing land.
