Featured (NEW) Vendor - Wild Shoat Farm

Hello AFM market go-ers! I’m Louis, owner and operator of Wild Shoat Farm, now based in Amherst, MA. I just touched down in Massachusetts in February of this year, and at the time of writing, I’m a few months into building this new version of the farm. For now, it’s just me on a quarter acre, growing all sorts of veggies for y’all. No tractor, no chemicals, lots of love!

I recently moved from my hometown of St. Louis, Missouri where this farm began. A few years ago, I was primarily a printmaker, selling linoleum block prints at the farmers market and other art fairs. Little by little, my backyard garden turned into a corner-to-corner urban farm. My farmers market booth started to include veggies, and I started selling a bit to my favorite local grocery store. I found myself totally hooked on the “market garden” system and the idea of finding a larger plot for this vegetable growing project.

Along the way, my partner Abby (who I happened to have met at a farmers market) found a teaching position at Amherst College. Admittedly, I knew very little of this area at the time, but Abby, a Mainer, had been selling me on the agricultural scene in New England. We are also both fiddle players in the Old Time tradition, and I knew there was a vibrant music and dance community here. While I do love Missouri dearly, I found myself convinced that life in western Mass could be alright!

While the land search was daunting, I’m very grateful to be leasing a bigger patch of dirt than last year. I arrived pretty determined to get this thing off the ground in time for market season. I managed to build a high tunnel in the snow and ice of this past February, and here today I’ve just about filled the whole plot with veggies. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still scrambling to get it together. Last week a black bear reminded me that my fence is still in progress.
While I’ve hardly left the farm in these first few months, I have managed to enjoy a handful of square dances and Old Time jams in the area. Printmaking has been on the back burner so far, but my press is set up and I have some art-friendly markets on the books. More of that project at www.louisbicycle.com for those interested.

Like I said folks, this farm is hand powered and chemical free. I’m a believer that living soil makes all the difference. I love talking about ecological growing and I’m always happy to answer questions at the market. Come say hi! Tell me your favorite camping and hiking spots!  Thanks for having me!

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