the Farm
Hemlock Hill Farm is tucked away in the Twin Lakes neighborhood of Cortlandt Manor. 120 acres of woodland and pastures owned by the DeMaria family since 1939. At Hemlock Hill Farm we understand how important it is to have access to local, organic, healthy food. Our goal is to provide our farm fresh products to our surrounding, community.
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raised
Hemlock Hill Farm is a full circle farm. We raise our animals from young babies until they are ready to harvest.
processed
Once the animals are ready for harvesting, they are processed in our state-of-the-art USDA processing facility.
sold
Once processed, packaged, and labeled, they go straight upstairs to our on-farm retail market and butcher shop that is open to the public all year round.
common questions
what do our cows eat
70/30 diet of grass and barley
Our cattle is fed the same diet throughout their life. It consists of 70/30 grass and barley. We grow high, nutrient-rich grass that consists of rye, alfalfa, Timothy, and Clover. The barley that they eat, comes from Captain Lawrence Brewery, in Elmsford, New York. When beer is brewed, a byproduct is produced from the barley grain. Similar to an oatmeal, it is full of different nutrients.
Many times at the end of a cows life they are what is called “finished”. Because many cows are not raised in pastures rather in feedlots, farmers will use this method to fatten them up quickly at the end of their life.
Our cattle are slow growers. Meaning, they are raised 100% naturally. Being raised in a pasture means their muscles are allowed to grow the way they are supposed to, they gain weight, naturally. They are able to get all of the nutrients they need throughout their life on the hay, barley, and grass they eat.​
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how do we bale hay?
Baling hay is one of the hardest jobs on the farm, and it has to be taken seriously. Having once lost a barn to fire from one of these hay bales, we’ve seen what spontaneous combustion looks like. And it can be devastating.
But feeding our cattle through the winter requires a lot of hay. We cut and mow the grass to make hay bales 2 to 3 times a year if we’re lucky. The process is no doubt an arduous one. It has to happen within a three day period and on the hottest days of the year, to avoid the rain. If there is any kind of moisture left in the hay, when the bale‘s are spun, the hay gets compressed so tightly that it can begin to heat up and actually spark a fire from within the hay bale.
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Pasture-raised chicken
Better chicken comes down to, natural living, fresh pastures, and instinctual foraging. With the exception of winter, our birds live the majority of their lives on fresh pasture. Eating bugs, grains, and legumes. Natural living in a no-stress enviornment contributes to the overall taste, texture, and nutrient density of the final product.
