Our Practices

Bonhomie Farm is rooted in the belief that everyone should feel good about where their food comes from. Our methods deliver nutritious food with integrity, grown close to home. We select varieties based on how great they’ll taste, not for how well they’ll hold up on a cross-country drive in a shipping container. Our produce, grown to nourish the local community, will always be thoughtfully grown, fresh, and delicious.

Our growing practices are based on the fact that the soils beneath our feet are alive, teeming with beneficial microbial life. These tiny organisms are what makes it possible to grow amazing produce. Standing on the shoulders of farmers who’ve come before us, we strive to support and protect the living soil, by disturbing its structure as little as possible. Traditional tillage (turning of the soil) disrupts the fragile soil ecosystem. Our methods leave the soil structure largely intact, thriving, and healthy. We feed the soil by adding high quality compost and amendments. We never use harmful chemical pesticides. A combination of insect netting, encouraging beneficial predators, and practicing crop rotation reduces pest pressure. We aim to always be transparent about our growing practices, so if you have any more questions - just ask!

We are also always interested in talking with local chefs and customers about what varieties most excite them. Feel like talking veggies with us? Visit our booth at the Hudson Farmers Market or drop us a line here.

About The Farmer

I’m Mike Cotrone, owner and lead farmer at Bonhomie Farm. Prior to starting the farm, I spent six years as a biology professor in Savannah, Georgia. In the summer months, I traveled and volunteered on farms in places like Orcas Island off the coast of Washington and Homer, Alaska. While off harvesting cherry tomatoes and avoiding the southern heat, I recognized how much I loved growing food for people.

Back in Savannah, I daydreamed about starting my own farm until finally deciding to try. My grandfather ran an apple orchard in the Hudson Valley when I was growing up. The orchard was no longer operational, but the land was still there. A few soil tests later, I planted the first garlic cloves. In winter 2018 I moved to Germantown, and have been farming ever since. While incredibly challenging on both mind and body, growing food has been the most rewarding pursuit of my life, and I’m so glad to have found it. I look forward to growing for you this season and for many to come.