Diversified homestead and agritoursim farm near Albany
New York
PLEASE read our entire profile before asking questions. Most of the questions we get are already covered in our profile. Thank you, we appreciate the consideration… we get inundated with airbnb, hipcamp and volunteer questions!
Surrounding area and farm: rural rolling hills, farm at end of dirt road, 225 acres forest/farm land, remote yet 15 minutes from stores/town, ½ hour from Albany.
Although we started our farm 12 years ago intending to be a modern homestead, it has morphed into a thriving agritourism business where we host 5 Airbnb’s; a Tipi, yurt, cordwood cabin, studio apartment, small house and large farm house. We also have a stage in a natural amphitheater where we host music festivals.
We farm vegetables, berries, fruit, mushrooms, and maple syrup. We have 14 angora goats, 1 mini donkeys, a horse, chickens, peacocks, a pot belly pig, cats and a very sweet dog. All our animals are very friendly and the tourist love them! We are vegetarians and keep our animals for eggs, mohair and pets. We are always working to improve our tourism business these days, as it is an exciting and rewarding venture with endless possibilities. We are grateful for the opportunities this business venture has provided because this is what has made our farm flourish, and we struggled for many years trying to figure out how to support our dream. We love sharing our property with others and seeing people enjoying and appreciating what we have made.
Winter projects: prepping for maple sap season, organizing tools, materials and supplies for next summer season, planning next seasons projects, sign painting, harvesting logs for mushroom inoculation, snow shoveling during storms, starting seeds, and processing mohair fiber from our goats and in march we harvest maple sap and boil down into syrup.
Summer season projects: lots of garden tasks, mushroom production, fruit tree care, and small farm building projects. We also process our Angora goat fiber (mohair) into yarn and various finished products.
Ongoing projects are : Fencing repairs, installing new fences and building a new goat shelters, and finishing garden shed.
Several small scale building projects will happen when we can get to them; new chicken coop, hay shed, root cellar, underground green houses, out door camp kitchen, etc.
There is also trail work to do, clearing fallen branches and sign painting.
So come lend a hand, share meals and stories, and learn from all the various projects we have going on here!
Getting here:
Albany airport is 35 min drive, uber will bring you. I hear it's $100 now.
Albany/ renselear Amtrak train station is 25 mins and $40-$50 uber.
Greyhound and trailways bus stop is 25 mins and $40-$50 uber.
We may be able to pick you up or find you a ride, but that's not guaranteed. We don't pick up or drop off late in the day- we go to bed very early and are busy most mornings. Mid day to 5pm on weekdays is your best bet to get a ride from us, but we can't commit to that- all depends on what's going on that day. So be prepared to take an uber if you have to.
The following are ongoing projects that we circle back to when seasonal priorties aren’t taking all our time:
We have a number of projects on our farm that we would like wwoofers to take on. We will provide tools and materials as well as teach you the techniques necessary to complete them, of course any previous experience you have would also be helpful. You could participate on several projects at once, or concentrate on one and make that your focus. We ask that every WWOOFer help in the garden each week because that is the source that feeds everyone.We value and promote creativity, resourcefulness and self reliance.
Projects list:
- Outdoor farm-to-table kitchen at the stage area. A cob pizza oven was built and needs finish work and a roof. This project is ongoing and we circle back when time allows.
-Garden/plants: veggie garden, greens garden, green house, water garden, raised beds, propagation projects, pruning, grafting, planting, harvesting, storing.
-Fences/gates: to keep animals in and out and enhance landscape features.
-Cooking/kitchen chores:the kitchen projects vary according to season and volunteer interests. We allow and encourage experimentations that range from such projects as brewing kombucha and fermented sodas, baking bread, making fermented sauces, etc. plus cooking meals for everyone. And doing dishes...some meals are prepared communally and sometimes everyone makes their own. Most dietary restrictions can be accommodated here.
-Animal tending: taking care of goats, and chickens, peacocks, a pet pig, 1 mini donkey, and a horse.
-Maple syrup: we continue setting up more tubing and building the sugar shack . We collect sap in March-which is one month of intensive sap collection and boiling down to syrup. We start preparing to gather sap in January and early February.
At this time, our accommodations are 6 bunks in our bunkhouse. We have a communal kitchen and bathrooms in our barn with community dining room, adjacent to our green house and wood shop areas. There is a washer and dryer available during designated hours of the day. We also have Wifi in the building and solid service all around the property. The area also has reasonable access to Uber.
We have 5 gallon buckets of bulk goods- rice, beans, flour, lentils, sugar, etc- a huge pantry of other food, 2 freezers full of food, and my mom shops for us everyday- we buy anything wwoofers ask for except meat, alcohol and junk food. We are vegetarians.
We have eggs, maple syrup, mushrooms and vegetables a plenty here on the farm that WWOOFER’s are welcome to eat.
Basic woofer rules:
1. If you sign up, show up! Or please cancel so your bed isn’t waiting for you while others are turned away and then we don’t have help when you are supposed to be here.
2. No smoking in any of our buildings
3. No alcohol drinking in our community areas or bunk house, you can drink out back in our campground by the stage.
4. Work day starts no later then 10 am. We are fixable with hours, but expect 5-6 a day or the equivalent in a week.
5. Thursdays are cleaning day. Everyone must pitch in!
6. Kitchen must be left clean at all times- do your dishes after you eat.
7. Absolutely no meat cooked or prepared in our kitchen.
- we have a longer list of rules based on past experiences with woofers that we will show you when you get here, but these are the basics.
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Sheep or goat farming
Raising of other farm animals
Forestry
Wild foraging
Seed saving or production
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Traditional crafts
Green Building
Methods or systems
Biological pest control
Holistic management
No-till farming
Permaculture
Regenerative agriculture
Joan
Member since 2013
Languages spoken:
English, Spanish
Response rate: 95%
Response time: typically within 1 day
November 2025
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Open
Planned visit
Closed
New York
Albany/Rensselaer
Reviews
Jessy
United States
•
October 2025
This farm was a great experience for me. I wasn't able to stay for the full length that I had planned on due to external factors but the few days I spent there were amazing! The animals were all very friendly and adorable (I especially loved the goats), the work was interesting and there was a lot of variety in what I could do. I could work at my own pace and I found I would get so into what I was doing, the day would be over before I realized! Joan is very knowledgeable and hospitable. She will let you bring your own skills to the table and find a way to contribute. The farm really gave me everything I need as far as food so all the meals were fresh and healthy. It's also gorgeous with plenty of space to explore. The other volunteers were also a delight. I definitely plan on coming back!
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Bobby
United States
•
August 2025
Only spent the weekend here but I had a great time and got to do more than I thought I would. Gardened, fed the animals, helped build a cabin, and had amazing food. Everyone there was so nice and the other WWOOFers made it very memorable. I’ll be coming back!
Jocelyn
United States
•
August 2025
This place is truly magical. Innoculating logs(mushrooms), mucking stalls, planting, weeding and so much more. I have gained more skill and experience here than any other farm so far. I cherish the memories I made here with people from all over the world 😊Joan and Jay are kind laid back host and some of the hardest working people I've met. I would definitely recommend this farm to other wwoofers. I always enjoy coming back!
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Molly
United States
•
August 2025
I really enjoyed my stay at Joan & Jay's farm. Lots of different projects to explore - I fed the animals, harvested fruits and vegetables, learned about mushroom production and more. The bunk house where volunteers stayed was very comfortable and the farm is beautiful. It was a great first WWOOFING experience and I am very grateful for Joan & Jay's hospitality!
Aidan
United States
•
July 2025
Joan and Jay are friendly hosts and let you work in the area you want, I did weeding, weed whacking, planting, firewood stacking, mushroom log management, berry picking and more. They are quite hands-off but will show you how to do things and were very responsive to texts/calls. The bunkhouse was comfy and there was plenty of time to do your own thing or hang out with other volunteers.
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Fiona
United States
•
July 2025
Great first WWOOF experience. Joan and Jay are generous and laidback hosts. They give you freedom to work on the tasks that interest you; if you want to learn something new, they will teach you. I worked in the garden and fed animals daily. The farm is peaceful, and I enjoyed working with other volunteers.
