OUR STORY - THE LOVENDUSKI FAMILY
With less than 2% of the US population living and working as farmer’s, the Lovenduski family has been committed to production agriculture and food production for four generations.
Joseph Lovenduski arrived in the US in the early 1900’s. Skipping his boat ride back to Poland, Joseph began raising animals and produce for his family and the people of Burlington, New Jersey. One of Joseph’s 16 children, Austin Lovenduski, raised over 5,000 laying hens, beef cows and grew over 70 acres of vegetables for his family, their roadside stand and the Beverly Co-op/Regional Market in Mt. Holly, NJ. Two of Austin’s sons, Paul and Mark Lovenduski, expanded the farm into the worldwide industrial commodity market. Farming in the Finger Lakes Region of Central New York, Paul and Mark grew everything from corn and soybeans to be sold overseas, straw for horse bedding; and green beans, wheat, and sweet corn for national food companies.
In 2016 Paul, with his son Eric, daughter-in-law Nellie and their two children, moved and established Slate River Farms on a historic farmstead in Easton, New York. The family’s goal with Slate River Farms is to utilize the farm’s Hudson River Valley fertile soil in the most productive and sustainable way possible. The rolling, lush pastures of Washington County facilitate a “back to our roots” way of farming. Slate River Farms focuses on raising 100% pastured chicken, eggs, turkey and grassfed beef along with straw, hay and some crops. The farmstead consists of a historic farm house, historic and new barns, old locust post fencing and new high tensile fencing. We enjoy swimming in the Hudson River, hiking to the waterfall on Ensign Brook and discovering the wildlife in the forests on our land.
Over four generations, the Lovenduski Family has committed their way of life to farming; being stewards of the land while providing food for our community. The farm has come full-circle in its growth, and benefits from generations of experience and bootstrap hard work. The places and products have changed, yet the passion for farming has always been at the family’s core. We love our land, we love our animals, and we know you’ll love our products.