AFM Featured Vendor - Hillcrest Farms

​The story of Hillcrest Farms starts with a dream and an old Farmall tractor! After years of saving up, getting hands-on experience with local farmers, and studying agriculture at UMass Stockbridge, I was now ready to start my farm!

I finally launched my own operation on 30 acres in Hadley. I named the farm after my grandfather’s former dairy farm to honor my family’s roots and carry that legacy into a new generation. Today, I handle the day-to-day work myself on rented land, with the help of a fellow UMass AG student, Matthew Pendergast. I hired him for the year to help me manage some farmers' markets and general labor around the farm. He is also going to manage finances and marketing for the watermelon crop this year which will be of great assistance, all while he is going into his senior year at UMASS Amherst. He's a great partner in that he shares that same passion for the land, working it and it's sustainability going forward.

For 2026 we’ve been admitted on-board as new member vendors at the Amherst Farmers Market and it's because we believe in the connection between the grower and the community!  Farm to table in these times is a huge asset for grower and consumer alike!

Our mission is simple: to provide unique local crops directly to the consumer. Our main crops right now are popcorn and insecticidal tobacco. While the popcorn is a healthy local snack, the tobacco is a bit of a "farmer’s secret"—it’s an effective, natural way to keep pests out of your home garden without using harsh chemicals. You can soak the whole tobacco leaves in water and use that as a spray for your plants.

While I grow tobacco for traditional cigar wrappers as is Hadley tradition, I’m also finding creative ways to showcase the art of tobacco farming in the Pioneer Valley. As the weeks get warmer, we will be popping our own popcorn fresh at the market and bringing out the heavy hitters: Silver Queen sweet corn and a variety of specialty watermelons. I am building this farm from the ground up, and I’m proud to share it with you. 

Hope to see you weekly on Saturdays out on the Amherst Common at the Amherst Farmers' Market!

---