The L’Etoile family in one of the their grain fields.
Located in Northfield, Massachusetts with breathtaking views of the Connecticut river and the surrounding hillsides is Four Star Farms, a family enterprise that has been passed down by 14 generations. Four Star Farms provides sustainable and locally grown grains, freshly milled flour, hops, and turf to the Western Massachusetts area. Four Star Farms is committed to environmentally sound agricultural practices while managing 280 acres of land. They are also dedicated to connecting with their local community through the resources, education, and quality food they provide. Four Star Farms’ products are available online and through nearly 20 different retailers and restaurants. Anyone can go to a local joint like the People’s Pint, located in Greenfield, MA and have bread, pasta, or beer that is made with Four Star Farms grains and hops! UMass Dining is a new customer of Four Star Farms and sources whole grains and flour for the UMass Bakeshop from them. We are so grateful to have this amazing farm close by to give our customers access to such delicious and quality flour.
| Liz L’Etoile, Four Star Farms’ Director of Sales and Marketing, was gracious enough to speak to us about their farm. Liz never thought that she would end up working on a family farm and even said, “If you had asked me 10 years ago if I would be a farmer I would have laughed at you.” However, Liz loves living on their farm and working with her family to do what she is passionate about. Liz spends most her time overseeing the farm’s sales, marketing, customer service, education and outreach initiatives. Using her background in social work, Liz works hard to inform consumers about the importance of a sustainable food system and the role that we each play in it. |
| During the summer, the farmers at Four Star Farms all work 6 or 7 days a week, starting before the sun comes up and not finishing until long after the sun goes down. Though farming can be draining work, what keeps Liz going at Four Star Farms is interacting with their customers. Four Star Farms hosts events and tours consistently to encourage customers to visit their farm and to facilitate a conversation about the importance of eating local and seasonal food. Liz believes “the pricing of our current food system is really not fair for those that don’t have access to good food [or] to farmers who don’t get a fair price for what they are growing.” |
Liz feels it is essential for the costs of paying employees a livable wage, offering them insurance, and using sustainable practices to be added back into our food system. Four Star Farms does everything they can to educate consumers about the real cost of food and how “dollars go so much further when going into your local community.”
Everyone at Four Star Farms loves what they do and envision doing it for a long time. They find farming rewarding and feel that they are doing what they can to make the world a better place. In these “trying times,” Liz finds hope in her family and customers, and in the “younger generations that are concerned about the environment and food insecurity.” In addition to providing local ingredients for delicious foods, Four Star Farms shows us that by connecting with each other and working hard for our values, we can alleviate our fears for the future and find hope.
Many thanks to Liz and the rest of the farmers at Four Star Farms for working with us!
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