Larry Lampman’s grandchildren Landon and Alesia go out to see the Fox Hill Farms herd. Photo courtesy of Larry Lampman

by Sally Colby

Larry Lampman is the third generation farmer to live on a scenic Berkshire foothills property that was established as a farm in 1882. Larry’s grandfather raised driving horses and sheep, then Larry’s father and uncle established a dairy farm. When his father and uncle gave up farming, Larry started a herd of beef cattle with a herd of what he refers to as ‘old-fashioned’ Angus and Herefords in 1999. Larry said the idea of a cow/calf operation appealed to him, and was aware that people are interested in beef raised on pasture. “I wanted to do something with the vacant land,” he said. “I decided to go with grass-fed, which wasn’t really too well known at the time. Soil is at the top of my list as our most important resource, so preventing soil erosion is imperative. Having hilly, rocky land and plowing it up for corn doesn’t make sense to me.” Larry also knew that keeping the land in permanent pasture would mean inhibiting soil erosion and eliminating tasks such as picking rocks, applying pesticides and using herbicides. 

Although Larry’s wife Erna raises pastured hens for organic eggs, she is also a kindergarten teacher. Larry’s full-time job off the farm meant that at one time, he was solely responsible for over 130 beef animals. Today, he’s full-time on the farm and committed to operating the most environmentally responsible operation possible. After a few years of raising traditional beef breeds, Larry started to add heritage breeds known for their ability to thrive on grass: Red Devon, British White and Murray Grey. Murray Grey is a relatively new breed that originated in Australia in the early 1900s; the result of a Shorthorn/Angus cross. Right now, the herd totals 90 animals, 50 of which are brood cows. Larry uses British White and Murray Gray A.I. sires, respectively, on those breeds. At this point, he isn’t doing a lot of embryo transfers, but one Murray Grey cow was an obvious candidate. “If you’re going to spend money on flushing, you want to use a top cow. I flushed an outstanding Murray Grey cow last fall, and have ten viable embryos in the tank,” he said. “I have 13 heifers ready for embryos.”

When he was working off the farm, Larry found it difficult to schedule A.I. As a result, calving has been more spread out than he’d like. “I like to have calves born in May,” he said. “The only time I don’t calve is January through March. But since I feed baleage, I can finish steers at pretty much any time of the year.” When selecting sires, Larry is most concerned with temperament and breed type rather than EPDs. “I want the animal to be tame, and in the case of British White, properly marked,” he said. “Type is most important — the kind of offspring that results from a sire.” As he built his herd, Larry retained many heifers, but he’s now ready to market some registered adult British White females.

Total acreage includes 210 acres on the home farm, with 106 on another farm. “Some fields are permanent pasture,” said Larry, adding that there are about 120 tillable acres. “I can make about 50 acres of hay.” Hay species include orchardgrass, alfalfa, clover and timothy. This year and last, Larry was able to start making hay in mid-May and put away 1340 small square bales of early grass hay before June 1. He also made 247 bales of baleage.

Larry notes that consumers have an interest in purchasing locally produced food, but with a lack of local, small-scale inspected slaughterhouses, it’s difficult for producers to serve this need. He envisions customers getting together, purchasing an animal, sending a check for their portion; then hiring the farm owner to take care of the on-farm slaughter. “To sell retail, you have to go through a USDA-inspected slaughterhouse,” said Larry, adding that the public actually finances inspected USDA slaughter facilities. “My goal is to be able to call the inspector and make an appointment for him to come to the farm; the farm would be an approved facility for slaughter. It’s the least-stress ending to the animal that’s had a good life on the farm.” 

Animals for retail sale are processed at a USDA facility in Litchfield, CT. In addition to an array of traditional cuts, an extremely popular offering is custom-recipe hot dogs. “They’re our best seller,” he said. “People love these hot dogs. Senator Gillibrand, a strong advocate for agriculture and on the Senate ag committee, uses these products.” The executive chef at the governor’s mansion purchases locally grown meat whenever possible, including that produced at Fox Hill Farm.

Larry says that his farm’s Web site is an integral part of marketing. When possible, he prefers to market beef within his area. However, the farm is just two hours north of New York City, so Fox Hill Farms sends some products there. “I ship to a members-only marketing co-op in New York City and to customers throughout New England. But most individual customers find us through the Internet.” Larry would rather not deal with a lot of restaurants because they usually want just the high end cuts, but a new restaurant in the area is purchasing locally produced products and will be obtaining whole rib strip loin from Fox Hill Farm. 

Larry spends time simply observing his animals, and finds that this, along with routine vaccinations, is the key to keeping the herd healthy. “What we’re trying to do is responsible, sustainable agriculture,” said Larry. “I’m interested in food security and growing more food close to people, and doing it sustainably without using a lot of fossil fuels. I have to run tractors, but I haven’t used any commercial fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides since I started.”

Visit Fox Hill Farm online at www.foxhillfarmgrassfedbeef.com