“I always loved gardening, and I always said, ‘Some day when I can afford it, I’m going to buy a farm,’” says Anthony Bracco.
Anthony, a graphic design business owner for the past 27 years, realized his dream in 2009. He and his wife, Christa, who live in Cedar Grove, purchased a 25-acre farm on Pine Island, a hamlet in the Town of Warwick in Orange County, New York that is known for its fertile soil.
For the past year, Anthony, Christa and their seven-year old son, Anthony Jr. have overseen Bracco Farms’ entire operations, from planting and harvesting the vegetables to marketing and selling them.
“Organic farming takes a little bit more care — we have to make sure we keep weeds and pests off the vegetables. Other than that, I find that we really don’t have to do much. As long as we treat the earth properly, it works out great,” says Anthony.
Thanks to nutrient-rich soil created by lakes full of fish and plant life and formed by melting glaciers approximately 12,000 years ago, a minimal amount of fertilizers are needed to help the crops grow.
Anthony and Christa plant organic seeds recommended by Cornell University’s Cooperative Extension Service’s Orange County Resource Educator of Vegetable Crops, Maire Ullrich, and spray certified organic insecticides and pesticides made from citrus or root oils that are all-natural and immediately degrade into the soil. Still, it will be two to three years before Bracco Farms will be eligible for “certified-organic status” by the USDA and the N.Y. State Department of Agriculture and Markets.
This summer, the Braccos, along with their family and friends, harvested Bracco Farms’ first crop of vegetables, which included heirloom tomatoes and peppers, cucumbers, zucchinis and zucchini blossoms, squash, eggplant, cherry tomatoes and tomatillos.
By canvassing restaurants door-to-door and relying on word-of-mouth, Anthony and Christa have recruited customers, including Toscania and U1 Roll and Sushi restaurants in Little Falls, and Crystal Springs Resort in Hamburg, New Jersey, which is located approximately 20 minutes from the farm.
“Tony made a great impression on me,” says Michael Weisshaupt, Crystal Springs’ executive chef. “I think he’s going to have one of the top farms here.”
Chef Weisshaupt stocks the Resort’s four restaurants and banquet area with locally-grown, natural and organic vegetables, meats and seafood. Each week, Chef Weisshaupt (pictured below with children) visits Bracco Farms to pick vegetables he plans to serve that week. “The flavor of freshly-picked vegetables is incomparable to anything you get from your wholesaler. The freshness and shelf life of this food is so much better.”
In addition to selling vegetables to restaurants, the Braccos are focused on selling to consumers. One day a week, they distribute an email notifying individuals in Essex County about their $5 market bag containing assorted organic vegetables collected that day, which can be picked up at their Little Falls office. “People pay on a weekly basis for the available vegetables,” says Christa. “This is a flexible arrangement for people who don’t want an ongoing commitment to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).”
They are also considering starting a small CSA, in which people pay an annual membership or subscription fee in May for a certain amount of produce each week for 24 weeks.
Other plans include planting plum, peach, pear and apple trees, as well as herbs, lettuce and microgreens. For more about the farm, visit at braccofarms.com.
– Written by Tara Williams
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