Welcome to our farm!
Over the Moon Farm is a small, grass-based organic farm in the Ridge and Valley Province of Central Pennsylvania. We raise hay, rotationally-grazed dairy heifers, pastured chicken, turkey and pigs.
Our meats are processed under USDA inspection by local butchers and marketed mostly as frozen cuts, direct to our customers in the State College area. Fresh chicken is available by pre-order on specific dates throughout the summer and fall.
Our distribution points are at Tait Farm Foods located on 322 east, just outside State College and at the Healthy Harvest CSA pick up at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 780 Waupelani Drive in State College
See:
http://www.healthyharvestfarmcsa.com/
Click their links for more information and directions.
See our Calendar for a list of dates and times we will be at the markets.
We are now on Facebook. Actually, our DOG, Macha, is on facebook. It's her job. Check out the new actvities on the farm!
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Our philosophy
With recent events in the world, including the "quality" of industrial meats and other foods and food security issues, the importance of building local food networks has never been greater. We recognize that it takes extra time and effort to find, buy and store locally-produced, seasonally available food.
However, that very act, besides providing you with the best, healthiest food on the planet, is assuring the survival of small farms and a thriving farm economy in your own neighborhood. (In the US today, the average bite of food has to travel 1,500 miles to get to your plate.) In addition, your food dollar is going almost 100% to support the local farm economy. Our daily farm operation pays the organic farmer that grows the grains we use, the suppliers of chicks, local store-keepers, hardware stores, farm supply and repair shops, our processor, our neighbors who sell us straw and hay - all local, small farmers and businesses. It's this simple: your vote with your dollar helps us all to keep a viable local economy!
Farmers and eaters need each other to stay healthy!
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The Farmers
Lyn Garling
I was interested in farms, ranches and the natural world since childhood, although no one in our family farmed. It only took me 50 yrs to get my own farm! In college I studied biology, ecology, botany, zoology and a couple languages. My studies took me to Central and South America where I studied tropical ecology, leaf-cutter ants and observed various types of farming systems. At University of California in Santa Cruz I worked as the coordinator of the Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture for 8 years before coming to State College, PA. I began working for the Integrated Pest Management Program at Penn State University (see paipm.org) and also got involved with the newly formed Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA - see pasafarming.org). At PASA, I served as secretary for as long as they would have me. I also trained as an Independent Organic Inspector and conducted farm inspections for PA Certified Organic. During this time I realized that if I wanted to farm, NOW was the time. My joke was that the median age of farmers was 50 yrs anyway, so that was perfect! I rented some farmland for a couple years and then took the plunge to buy my own place. I have been farming at this site since 1998 while continuing to work at Penn State as part of the IPM Program.
Patty Neiner
I came to the farm in 2003 looking for a place to live. I fell in love with the farm and the animals. The location is very reminiscent of where I grew up in The Big Valley (Belleville, PA). At the time I moved here I was working as a Research Technician at Penn State and had recently graduated in Horticulture/Landscape Design. I began to learn the ways of the critters and that everything that is not in a flower bed is not necessarily a weed! I changed jobs and began working at Pennsylvania Certified Organic. I worked there for four years as a Certification Specialist and Organic Transition Specialist. Through the farmers and others I met during that time I learned a great deal about farming and the value of local food. I now work mainly on the farm tending to the animals and the land. In the winter months I have been working at PASA for the past three seasons as the Registration Associate for their annual Farming for the Future Conference.
Calendar
- NEW – we will be at the North Atherton Farmers’ Market in the Home Depot parking lot on Saturdays, from 10-2PM, beginning, May 18. HOWEVER, we can only sell our pork there, mostly sausages; and frozen chickens by pre-order after May 24.
- TAIT FARM will follow their CSA pickups on alternate Tuesdays, from 2-6PM (5/21) AND starting in June, alternate Fridays as well!!
Fridays—June 7, 21 (chicken day), July 12, 19 (chicken day), August 2, 16, 30 (chicken day)
Tuesdays—June 11, 25, July 2, 23, August 6, 20
Friday, May 24 is our first FRESH CHICKEN order Friday!! - HEALTHY HARVEST CSA at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Waupelani Drive in State College alternate Thursdays from 4-6PM by PRE-ORDER only (5/23, 6/6, 6/20).
Check our Calendar Page for more details
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Volunteer!!
Give us a holler if you think you'd like to try your hand at mucking, digging, scything or anything else we need help with around the farm... We can always use the help, and if we can't at the moment, we will let you know when we can!
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We are now on Facebook too...
although why, we don't know