The Bittersweet-Milkweed Collaborative

A World of Diversity on 113 Acres

a friendly pig
a friendly pig

The Bittersweet-Milkweed Collaborative is a queer, small-scale adventure in community-oriented regenerative agriculture. In 1999, we began growing and learning in St Lawrence County, New York under the name Bittersweet Farm.

In 2023, we smashed ourselves and our neighboring farm, Milkweed Tussock Tubers, together to begin what we hope will be a long-standing, ever expanding agricultural collaboration of multiple operations. Over the course of these 24 years, our operation has come to include greenhouses, transplants, seed potatoes, food forests, cattle, sheep, value-added production, humans, pigs and poultry.

We emphasize the inherent interconnections of life and work to respect and uphold them. And through all of our challenges and triumphs, we strive to share - share foods, share spaces and share our experiences and knowledge with you.

Our endeavors include providing sanctuary for endangered species, restoration of rare crops and the bringing together of diverse folks for the rejuvenation of our community. We welcome visitors to the farm and hope you will drop in!

Welcome

Milkweed Tussock Tubers hand drawn logo of a potato and milkweed plant.
Milkweed Tussock Tubers hand drawn logo of a potato and milkweed plant.
A hand painted sign with a rooster that says "Bittersweet Farm".
A hand painted sign with a rooster that says "Bittersweet Farm".

Food is a right, and everyone should have easy access to good quality foods, free. Food sovereignty is at risk from climate change and capitalism. It has always been, and still is, wrong to enslave and impoverish food workers, growers and keepers.

To these ends, we push for a different world, building, connecting and learning in all we do. We promote spontaneous diversity, believing the fact that the hand of human is no greater than the hands of the living spirits of the soils, and ecosystems. We value small, local communities, community support and community organizers. We provide food and services on a sliding scale, and we create sanctuary for those in need.

Our ecologically restorative practices have renewed the land, and our classes and work exchange program have reached thousands of passionate folk, each of them carrying the seeds of regenerative farming into their future. We are simply one piece of the puzzle, but we make our piece count.

a bee on a flower
a bee on a flower

Our Reason for Being

Seeking Farm Partner(s)

For the past 25 years, this diverse, organically managed farm has been nurtured using restorative agroecological practices. The land supports rotationally grazed cows, pigs, sheep, and chickens, along with vibrant vegetable gardens, food forests, meadows, and wetlands. Our regenerative practices have renewed the soil, and created space for endangered species.

This is not a business pitch. The farm is not currently financially viable, and may never be. What it is is a place to live and work in relationship with land, animals, and each other—outside the extractive logic of capitalism. I’m looking for one or more grounded, skilled, and communally-minded partners to join me in co-stewarding this place. We'd share the labor, decision-making, food, and, if it makes sense in the future, income and expenses. Partnership would grow over the course of a year working together.

Farm infrastructure includes fencing, barns, greenhouses, and a small but mighty fleet of tools. All farming practices must be organic, regenerative, and in service to the land’s capacity—not the market’s demands. Housing options are negotiable, and include shared housing and an off-grid cabin.

A full description of this offer can be found on our NY Farmland Finder profile. If you're seeking a life rooted in care, interdependence, and land repair—not profit— let’s talk. Please reach out to Kia-Beth via email at milkweedtussocktubers@gmail.com.