About
How We Farm
We are located in the Upper Delaware River Valley, where we grow a diverse mix of vegetables, herbs, and cut flowers on our 12 acres. Tended with care our valley bottom soil grows delicious and nutrient-dense produce. As farmers, we take the long view that while growing food, we should always be improving our soil, increasing the farm’s biodiversity, and contributing to our community. We do this by using cover crops, crop rotation, and creating insect and wildlife habitat. We use no pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers and we are Certified Organic by NOFA-NY Certified Organic, LLC.
The Farmers
Greg Swartz, Tannis Kowalchuk, Simon
Greg Swartz has been farming in the Upper Delaware River Valley for ten years. After several years as an apprentice on local farms (including Wild Roots Farm, Apple Pond Farm, and Gorzynski Ornery Farm), he took a break from full time farming to become the Executive Director of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York (NOFA-NY). He worked with NOFA-NY until 2009. Tannis Kowalchuk is the Artistic Director of NACL Theatre in Highland Lake, NY. She plays a role in all parts of the Farm, but in particular, she is the maestra of the flowers. Simon was born in 2008 and he is already in love with tractors. We purchased our farm in 2007 and 2011 marks our second year of full production.
John Bachman
John Bachman has been involved in farming since the early 1990′s. He has worked on many vegetable farms over the years. He was the first farmer of Thanksgiving Farm at The Center for Discovery in Harris, NY. In addition to his beloved radio show Country Crossroads, John has also been a key staffer at WJFF/Radio Catskill (our community radio station) for over 8 years. In addition to being a great friend, John is a great farmer and Willow Wisp is lucky to have him on the team.
