Beautiful historic 13-acre veggie and livestock farm near Buffalo, NY growing heirlooms
New York
**** PLEASE look at availability BEFORE sending me a request.
RIGHT NOW: looking for folks to join this SPRING for seed starting, bed prep and transplanting everything -- it's time to plant!
This farm is a beautiful historic 13-acre farm just outside of Buffalo New York. We are bordered by an organic hay field, a concord grape vineyard and hardwood forest. We stand atop a hill and have an incredible view of the sunset over Lake Erie on the horizon.
This farm is dedicated not only to growing food, but to growing soil and community. We serve mostly restaurants, a growing CSA and our own hosted events. I'm looking at starting a small farmstand. Our scale is quite small, currently growing vegetables on approx 7,000 square feet of the 13 acres. We have a combination of in-ground and box beds as well as 1 high tunnel and a small glass greenhouse attached to the farmhouse and germination room in the basement. I'd say we are a market garden.
I grow almost exclusively heirloom variety vegetables and raise heritage breed poultry for soy-free, pasture-raised chicken, duck and goose eggs. I do a small amount of seed saving in addition to growing items for seed such as mustard, poppy, sunflower and caraway. I also have a small flock of sheep for fiber and I naturally dye the wool for yarns with plant material from the land and dye gardens. Depending on when you are here, you may get to participate in the yarn dyeing.
My farming is informed by a passion for culinary arts combined with appreciation of the sacredness of nature. I say that my products are mindfully grown, meaning much more than organic-style garden practices.... I believe that every living thing requires care to grow well. This is why I've focused on working with chefs as well as hosting events.
I'm naturally an educator and use events on my farm as an opportunity to teach. In addition I occasionally teach at the community college culinary program, county fairgrounds and local schools.
WHO I'M LOOKING FOR: This is not a place for quick vacations or housing while you do other things. I want folks who want to settle into the life here and be an active participant in what we are creating. I value curiosity and we farm with keen awareness to observation and acute attention to the details. I'm extremely intentional in EVERYTHING we do here and would like to welcome folks who honor and care in that way. This is NOT a place to learn a rote task and repeat it over and over again. That said, I try to find a balance between mindful care and productivity -- what I consider to be efficiency.
I talk about what I do as "mindfully grown" which applies to our organic practices as well as how we walk through life and interact with animals, land, one another and most importantly, OURSELVES.
SCHEDULE (approximate)
During the season, our days start early in the morning, usually at 7:00ish, sometimes as early as 5:30/6 depending on the day and part of the season. Days somewhat vary based on weather and what is happening on the farm that week. I try my best to balance the needs of the farm, daylight & temperatures, everyone's hours, nature's timeline and my own awareness of priorities and focus. There are some regular tasks and many that flow with those ever changing needs. Regular morning tasks include water gardens, feed animals, any required harvests and then we move on to the projects of the day. We tend to break midday for lunch and rest while it is the hottest part of the day and then go to evening chores around sunset (which don't take too long). We work as a team, including me, and often check in the day before about the upcoming day, what is needed and who wants to do what. There are sometimes days where we need 'all hands on deck' for a project, so working together with everyone and communicating is important. I treat everyone here like a family and family farm, so it is less formalized than an employee/employer situation. With that in mind, you need to be flexible and communicative to thrive here.
Each WWOOFer works 25-30 hours with 1 full day off a week. I expect everyone here to have self-governance and honesty and thus I don't track precise hours. That's for you to do for yourself and be in communication with me (well before you run out of hours). I do my best to accommodate everyone's desires and needs while also managing what the farm needs.
HOUSING & MEALS
I acknowledge we all have different eating habits and preferences when it comes to mealtimes. With that in mind, everyone does their own thing for breakfast and lunch with basic food and supplies provided by me. I run this as a 'family' farm and with that in mind, part of our farm culture is to sit down to dinner together most days. This gives us an opportunity to connect, share and create community. I cook dinner for us all, welcoming anyone who wants to help and contribute. Occasionally we have an open dinner where we all do our own thing, bring in food, or have other special occasions. I do my best to accommodate dietary needs, however this is a difficult household for Vegans. We are a soy and amino-free property.
Housing is in my large old farmhouse WITH me. In other words, we are not just working together, we are living together. You will have a comfortable room to yourself (with bedding and bath linens provided) and we all share the 1 1/2 bathrooms, common spaces and kitchen. There’s also plenty of outdoor spaces in gardens, on the porch and patio.
I'm a woman who farms and am particularly passionate about supporting more women in food (ag, culinary, advocacy, etc,). I also have a strong belief that homegrown food is the key that can unlock the path to wellness, happiness and abundance.
In addition to farming, I'm an educator through a variety of avenues like farm tours, the county fairgrounds and more. I'm a business coach/consultant and the hostess of a podcast, "Women in Food".
Organic methods: First of all, my property is a SOY FREE PROPERTY which means that all animal feed as well as cooking in the kitchen here are soy-free.
I am not certified organic, however I only use essential oils, insects, interplanting, fabric barriers and natural ingredients (like fish meal, my own compost, or local farm manure) in my gardens.
My farm is a low-till/no-till farm and so I use sheet mulching, local wood mulch, compost, some woven weedcloth, broadforking and sillage tarps to foster healthy soil regeneration as best as I can. This also means that everything is done by hand with minimal machines beyond my lawn mower/tractor. I have a glass greenhouse and an indoor seed germination room, however we have a healthy mix of direct sown and transplanted plants.
Poultry are free range on pasture supplemented with a non-GMO, organic, soy-free feed. I manage their health with herbs and essential oils as best as I can and do as much veterinary care on farm. We occasionally but rarely butcher animals here so volunteers need to be ok with that. Once the grass is growing well, the sheep graze our lawns, through our orchard and anywhere else that needs a 'mow'. We rotate them every 2-3 days with moveable fencing.
Certifications: Not certified, practice beyond organic and soy-free
Current projects: The projects change all the time depending on the season and where in the season we are at. I think it is important to know that I grow for customers and sales, not just for myself, and on a small scale. With that in mind, there is a regular cycle of harvesting, deliveries, succession plantings and sales. I also offer this space as an event space, so there are always maintenance things and updates to do to keep the grounds healthy and looking beautiful. Orchards need pruning in springtime. Barn could use regular cleaning and some repairs. A working farm is a non-stop cycle of projects and things to do, many of which are revealed as the seasons reveal themselves! There are always some "projects" like build a new greenhouse tunnel, lay irrigation systems out, set up new trellising, plant perennial beds, etc. And, if you are someone who needs to have a checklist completed.... a farm never has a completed check list. There may be a list for the day, but there's more coming tomorrow!
In addition to one-off projects, there are some regular tasks such as tending the chickens, ducks and geese, working with our working dog, tending my sheep, regular weeding, harvesting, washing and packing of vegetables.
My farm is very focused on education and agritourism and so volunteers will be expected to help with on-farm events, tours etc.
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Poultry farming
Sheep or goat farming
Flower farming
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Food justice / sovereignty
Methods or systems
Biological pest control
Holistic management
No-till farming
Permaculture
Regenerative agriculture
Mentoring opportunities
Woman-operated
Host type
Production farm
5.3
Hectares
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13
Acres
Missy
Member since 2019
Languages spoken:
English
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Response rate: 92%
Response time: typically within 2 days
New York
Buffalo Bus Station, Train - Depew or Downtown Buffalo, Buffalo/Niagara Int'l Airport
Reviews
Noah
United States
•
December 2025
Missy and Megan are the two most welcoming and wisest people I have ever met. From day one they took me in and treated me as kin. I was taught many a deep lesson about life far beyond just farming, including Missy's own personal philosophy of all things are relationships and deep nourishment. She is larger than her profile in real life, she lives her "mindful care" and "nourishment" philosophy every day. Every meal and conversation was a nourishment in my whole being, a practice in her hearthcraft.
During my stay, I participated in a farmer's gathering where I made new connections, and I gained practical skills in garlic planting, canning, tending to the care of Missy's menagerie of animals, baking pies, and winterizing the farm.
I arrived with a head full of ideas and left with a heart full of love and gratitude. I would absolutely and wholeheartedly recommend Missy to anyone who shares her values of "mindful care".
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Laura
United States
•
July 2025
I am so happy that my first WWOOFing experience was with Missy. Missy was an incredibly welcoming host and a wealth of knowledge about farming and connecting with all aspects of nature and food. I picked up a lot of farming tips and tricks that I will carry with me while starting my own farm.
During my stay, I helped water, weed, and plant out garden beds, assisted with morning and evening animal chores, and helped Missy chip away at various other projects. Evenings were spent thoroughly enjoying Missy's delicious home-cooked dinners while in the company of her other guests and helpers.
I highly recommend WWOOFing at this farm. Missy will meet you where you're at, whether you're new to farming or experienced, and she is extremely kind and willing to answer any questions. I can't wait to return!
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Diana
United States
•
June 2025
Missy and her farm was my first WWOOFing experience.
Missy is a warm and compassionate farm owner. She puts her love and compassion into all she does, to all of the animals, land & business. I gained valuable experience in how to run a successful women owned farm and business through my time WWOOFing at this farm. I am grateful for all of my experiences with Missy!
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Onacis
United States
•
April 2025
This was my first time in this kind of environment, and I learned so much about what it takes to care for and maintain a farm! Her willingness and patience in explaining the process—feeding with care and attention to detail, sowing seeds with love in a greenhouse, and maintaining proper bedding—was greatly appreciated.
Aside from being a wonderful teacher and a great cook, she is super down to earth; she creates a space of understanding that allows you to be open and transparent with your needs.
There are a few highlights that deserve a standing ovation. The room I stayed in was private, clean, and had a beautiful sunny air to it. The food was all delicious, organic options, and my absolute favorite was a pasta with meat and homemade sauce. I also want to shout out Leo—the sweetest, most energetic gentle giant who stole my heart. Leo, along with the chickens, ducks, geese, and sheep, are sweeties; like all animals, they will respect you if you respect them.
Another highlight was collecting eggs and packing them up to be sold at the farmer's market. Those moments of mindful tasks were a refreshing break from the fast-paced city life.
I even got to participate in a farm-to-table event hosted by Missy at the house, and it was such a pleasant experience to be around hilarious and creative folks who gather with the shared love of farming and healthy sustenance.
10/10—I strongly recommend!!!
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Cel
United States
•
November 2024
Where to even begin? My time here felt like an induction into the western NY farming and food scene. Missy's community stretches far and deep, and I had the privilege of getting to meet farmers, chefs, artisans, writers, and all sorts of creative makers in Missy's orbit during my two month stay. Fall here offered so much opportunity to learn and grow. In the gardens there was abundant work and an abundance of delicious vegetables, from colorful carrots to curly kale. Beyond gardening Missy and I repaired wooden fencing, regularly moved sheep across the property to graze, got creative in the kitchen making tomatoes sauce, salsa, paprika, apple butter, and cow's milk soap, and installed a gorgeous new sign. The combination of tending to the crops, animal husbandry, and other projects always had me engaged and discovering something new. Missy has so much knowledge to share and her sense of curiosity is a cornerstone - she is always experimenting with a new recipe or method of farming that she wants to test out. My stay was also filled with energetic puppy love in the form of (now) 6-month old Leo, who greeted me every morning with snuggles. I'm grateful for the sunrises and sunsets, the dinner table conversations, and witnessing the passion Missy has for sustainably growing delicious, nourishing food to share with her community. On a more practical note, Missy is a top-notch cook, my room was so cozy and I felt incredibly well taken care of.
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Iris
United Kingdom
•
June 2024
I had the most amazing two weeks with Missy, she was a great educator and explained things clearly and thoroughly while also taking time to share her vast knowledge on everything from beetroot to birds! On top of this we were lucky enough to partake in various activities such as a dye workshop and helping out with the CSA. It was lovely to see and explore the local area and Missy even took us up to Niagara Falls one day! The work is varied and interesting and while there you get a strong sense that your work is appreciated by both Missy and the other people who also benefit from the farm. Missy is a great host (and cook!) and I will truly miss the sense of peace at the farm, as well as the lovely farm dog Daisy. Thank you Missy and I do hope to come back again some day :)
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