Welcome to Cold Brook Farm, nestled in one of the many cozy valleys of beautiful Central New York.   Here you'll find some snapshots of our small farm as it looks at this particular moment in time and of some of our hand-made goods.  We’re growing and changing, so we invite you to stop back often to check on what we’re up to.  If there is a specific something that you would like to see but don't find here, please let us know and we'll try to accommodate you.  
 

There was a time, not very long ago, where had anyone suggested that we would some day be living on a sheep farm in the middle of what many consider to be nowhere, we would have given them a cold compress and told them to lie down until the dizziness passed.  But while we were both busy building careers in New York City talk of raising a family crept in and we were stirred to search for a slower, more bucolic existence.    We found it in Cortland County in an 1896 farmhouse anchoring 135 acres of pasture and woodland.   Our farm is a short 10 minute drive from the city of Cortland and situated equidistant from Binghamton, Ithaca, and Syracuse.
 

"What are you going to do with all that land?"     If we had a nickel for every time friends and family asked that question, we’d be driving better cars (and tractors).  The simple answer is that we want to do what we can to try and preserve some of the qualities of what attracted us to this area, this life.  So now we spend much of our time and money finding out just how hard any kind of farming really is.  But bringing back the pastures, preserving the hundred year old barn, putting up the hay, raising the animals… it’s all part of the life and has its own rewards.  We wouldn't have it any other way.  Shepherding is the way in which we try to maintain the magnificent barn and breathtaking farmland instead of allowing disuse and disrepair become their fortune, as is the fate of so many American family farms.  Over time the farm will pass into other hands, be they family or not.  For now we do our level best to keep things the way they should be kept.    

So now that Tammie's career has changed from teacher to Mother and Hearthkeeper, we’ve begun to shift our attention to making our farming habit—and our lives in general— be more self-sufficient.  We hope you enjoy your visit around the farm and that you’ll leave us a note with your comments, suggestions and questions.  If you're interested in learning more on why sheep are the Earth-friendly, sustainable choice for the small and part-time farmer click here.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pete, Tammie,  Jonah and Yael Whitson