Ethically raised food and livestock

Bob and Bethany Salisbury have been operating Saratoga Homestead since 2014 and have undertaken many obstacles and seen exponential growth over the years, constantly reevaluating and tailoring the farm as it grows into the program we hope our children will be excited to inherit. Bob is a 6th generation row crop farmer and Bethany is a 1st generation livestock and produce farmer, making their children 7th generation row crop farmers and 2nd generation livestock and produce farmers, respectively. The property the homestead is currently located on was purchased in 2017 and was vacant for 8 years. There have been many renovations and ideas come to life since the purchase of the farm which is approximately 3 acres.

We strive to grow nutrient dense, naturally raised livestock with as low food mileage as possible. Our program stewardship heavily emphasizes species appropriate diets, fresh air, sunshine, fresh fodder, our own baled hay, fresh produce, cognitive enrichment, and locally sourced feed ingredients. We select local stock to raise, benefiting other local small farmers in our area, raise our own stock, or select quality stock to be shipped to our farm from as close as possible. The grain mixes we feed are milled locally using products from our local farmers and sourcing as close to home as possible. We offer grain screenings from a locally owned seed facility that specializes in wheat, oats, rye, alfalfa, and other ground cover crops. This mix is high in protein and only 5 miles from our farm. We also source local spent produce from our community as well as our own market gardens. All of this ensures that our feed is the freshest and most nutrient dense feed that we can offer without compromising feed values by shipping in older feeds with time degradation values we are unaware of. 

Over the years we have seen many different shapes that our farm has taken on. We have been feeding our family and close friends since our start in 2014. In the Spring of 2024 we made the leap into selling to the public market and were very well received by our local community. It has shown us where to pour more of our focus and how to tailor our program to fit the niche we have found ourselves in, providing small livestock as protein options for our communities and access to nutrient dense heirloom produce. We have found that the largely popular livestock such as beef, pork, and sheep have become a locally saturated market, whereas our niche small livestock has become our most well received market. We intend to pour more focus and expand our facilities to accommodate more focus on our niche market as well as expand our gardens to offer a wider variety of produce.