Twin Brook Farms
Twin Brook Farms
Pasture Raised Meat and Eggs in Northeast Pennsylvania
Fresh and Local
Sustainable and Grass Based
Ethically and Humanely Raised
What We Offer
Grass Based Livestock
Beef
Bursting with Flavor
Lamb and Goat
A Gourmet Touch
Pork
Incredibly Tender
Rainbow Eggs
& Duck Eggs
Heritage and Free Range
Raw Honey
Seasonal and Delicious
Farm Fresh Meat and Eggs
Outstanding Quality
We started farming to preserve a legacy and support our family with healthy foods. We knew we needed to be outside more than average people and farming as a career enabled that 100%. We wanted to utilize this old farm to the fullest extent possible and derive a livelihood from the land we steward. We wanted to leave the farm in better condition than when we began. Help us do that by supporting our mission!
Given our rough terrain, grass based livestock farming was the most logical route to success. We don't till. We don't plant corn. We grow grass! We harvest grass. We feed grass to livestock and produce quality grass based meats!
We hope you'll consider supporting our farm by voting with your food dollar! When you shop local you are acquiring superior quality products, guaranteeing fair returns to farmers, preserving farmland, and supporting your local economy!
About Twin Brook Farms
We are Small, but Significant
Our operation offers primarily hay and pastured livestock, though we do have a half acre in vegetable production, an apple orchard, a bundle of free ranging heritage poultry, and bee hives. On an annual basis we run approximately 375 ewes and their ~500 lambs, 20-25 goats, approximately 80 head of cattle, and up to 80 hogs. We began further processing our livestock into retail cuts of meat in 2014 and have been slowly expanding our products and customer base. Currently, the farm sells more than 95% of its livestock directly to the end user by retail meat cuts, internet sales, local farmer’s markets, a Meat CSA Program, and live animal sales to the community.
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According to the 2017 Census of Agriculture for Wayne County, PA there were 24 farms in the 500 to 999 acre size range. We are one of the 24. Despite having over 640 active farms in the county our farm produces over 1% of the total ag related sales, about 7x the sales of the average farm in the county. Referencing the Wayne County Agricultural Development Plan, Sheep and Goats etc., produce 15% of the regions livestock product. Of that, our farm produces about 75% percent of the sheep and lamb livestock inventory for the entire county. This doesn’t include our beef production, or hog production, hay production, or our pastured poultry/egg production.
Setting Ourselves Up for Success
My husband and I are both Cornell University graduates. Erik was a Natural Resources Management major and I was a double major in both the Plant Sciences and Agricultural Sciences. I was a top graduating senior in the Cornell Plant Sciences Department and an American Society for Horticultural Sciences recognized 2011 Collegiate Scholar. Erik and I were also both Nationally Ranked NCAA Division I athletes. I held a job throughout college, secured scholarships, and worked incredibly hard to graduate with no student debt. My parents, both full time farmers, couldn’t afford to contribute to my college education and my degrees are entirely self-funded. After taking the GRE’s, I decided to follow my heart and return to the family farm rather than pursue a graduate degree. As the youngest of four daughters, it had become clear that none of my other sisters were likely to take a full time interest in a farming lifestyle. My dad, an aging farmer, couldn’t continue to farm alone and he couldn’t keep the farm running without additional help. So here we are… Erik and I are full time farmers, deriving 100% of our livelihood from the land we steward. As you can see from our university interests, we work each day to secure a stable and sustainable future for our farm. My dad still has a stake in the business and he still derives 100% of his income from farming as well. We direct market all of our farm products to local communities. These communities benefit from having a direct connection to the farm and farmers who produce their food.
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The recent Wayne County Agricultural Development Plan detailed that there was a 30% decline in agriculturally related firms in the county between the years of 2006 and 2015. I wish I had the statistics from the most recent 2022 Census of Agriculture as I write this note. Wayne County has been losing farms at a rapid pace over the last 10 years. That same development plan detailed that the number of farmers older than 55 increased by 40% from 2002 to 2012, while those farmers younger than 55 declined by 26%. In 2012, 60% of principal farm operators worked off farm. So the county trends are: aging farmers that are forced to work off farm because they are unable to derive a sustainable livelihood and very few young farmers entering the business. Of course, we are seeing similar patterns across the country, but Wayne County risks losing the majority of experienced farmers to aging and retirement leaving little opportunity for young farmers to enter the playing field once properties are lost to rising land prices and development.
I have dreams for my family farm. I see a future for my family farm. We’re doing it! I need your help to safeguard these irreplaceable resources -the rural landscape and our family farms- by supporting and protecting farmlands and working landscapes.
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with love,
Cassie at TBF