Lisa & Stephen Winkler      Certified Natural New York, LLC.    P.O. Box 508     Rodman, N.Y. 13682       315-767-6809 Cell / 315-232-5075 Phone / 315-232-3828 Fax

The Winklers moved to northern New York in June of 1997 and bought the original 100 acres, house and barn. Stephen and Lisa have five children, Ben, Alex, Annalise, Tessa, Peter.

"We started farming to create a healthy food system for our children. Yes, we wanted to live in the country and enjoy peace and quiet, but we wanted to be self sufficient. We are very concerned about the foods being mass-produced and shipped from overseas. Most countries the United States is buying produce from do not have high enough safety standards, and the meat being offered is overtreated with drugs, hormones and animal proteins. We as a family want no part of it."

Stephen and Lisa made a commitment in 1998 to grow as much food as possible to feed their family. They started with a small flock of layers, then added pigs, then meat chicken, then turkeys, then beef cows. In doing this, they attracted neighbors that also had a conscious diet. The couple bought the second farm of 220 acres in October 2000. "We started selling 20 - 30 pigs a year and a handful of beef. Eleven years later we now not only sell to our neighbors, but we also sell to two large retail grocery chains, ten different food distributors on the East Coast, and some of the best restaurants in the world."

The farm has grown into a full time business. Stephen is the General Manager, Lisa is a Biology teacher by day and bookkeeper/organizer by night, Benjamin is working full time for his father during the summer, and the younger children are all expected to help out. "The kids all have responsibilities in the home and on the farm. We call it fair work for fair pay".

The farm is now 320 acres, sells 800 - 1000 hogs, 35 head of beef, 700 meat chickens, and 7000 dozen eggs a year. They have expanded into their own farm stand and increased the size of the market garden that grows organic vegetables. The Winklers believe in sustainability but "taking care of the environment and our community is a message we carry everyday. If we can treat the land better than we received it and give to others more than they give us, we are completing our mission statement. We are all connected, people, animals and natural resources."

Lucki 7 has plans to add to its solar production, include wind power, and have started on a Micro Hydro system. "My family would love to be working teachers. Work and produce on the farm, and teach others they can feed themselves and be self sufficient."

OUR FRIENDS
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Wegmans

Whole Foods Market

GreenThyme, Inc.

Northeast Family Farms

Local Harvest

Grindstone Farm

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Steve's American Agriculturalist
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Lucki7Livestock
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