Steve & Julie Rockcastle
2361 Wait Corners Rd.
Panama, NY 14767
Steve: 585-
Julie: 716-
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Green Heron Growers
We grow healthy certified organic food on our 200 acres in the town of Sherman, NY. Sherman is in Chautauqua County, 20 miles west of Jamestown, 90 miles south of Buffalo. Most of our acreage is wooded, which gives us perfect conditions to grow shiitake mushrooms in our hemlock grove. Beef and chickens are raised on leased pasture which has been certified organic. Our beef can not be certified because we do not have breeding stock of our own yet. Our vegetables, herbs and fruits are intensively managed on a 1/2 acre near our house. We use a small greenhouse as a chick brooding space and for seedling production.
We use the Green Heron in our name because this unique species visits us each summer. We are also visited by the Great Blue Heron Music Festival each July, an event that has been Julie's primary business since 1992. The festival's use of the land has made it challenging for us to envision a farm. Almost every available piece of open land is needed for parking, camping, vending, or dancing. After Steve began to study Joel Salatin's farming methods, we realized that rotational grazing might be a possibility. Why not let animals eat our grass and start reducing the 20 hours it takes Julie's father to mow the festival grounds once around? We'd reduce our use of fossil fuels and grow healthy happy animals. During the festival the cows will be safely grazing on the far pastures of Heron Overlook.
When we got married in 2005, one of our goals was to grow as much of our own veggies and fruits as possible. Both of us had enjoyed gardening organically for years and shared beliefs about the importance of fresh, pure food. With our combined efforts, we are growing enough food to cross over from being gardeners to farmers.
We are pleased to be part of the local food movement by providing an option to the industrial food system for our family, friends and community. We hope you will support us by visiting the farm or trying some of our tasty products in the coming seasons.
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