About Song Sparrow Farm
Song Sparrow Farm is on a mission to make nutrient dense food more accessible to the communities we serve. Our 1.5 combined acres of market gardens in Easthampton and Florence will produce veggies and herbs that are turned into pickles, veggie sides, prepared food, baked goods, and herbal teas available at several farmers markets and farm stands in Western Mass.
Our Growing Practices
We are committed to growing practices and techniques that build healthy living soil, sequester carbon, and build resilience. That means we don’t till, and we rotate planting, plant cover crops, and save seeds. Instead of tilling the soil, we use methods that protect and regenerate the soil, which helps us produce vibrant plants and nutrient-dense food. We grow intensively as opposed to extensively. By operating on a human-powered scale, we can hone in on growing the highest quality vegetables for our customers – vegetables that have incredible flavor, longer shelf life, and reflect the care that went into growing them.
While not certified organic, we don’t use toxic chemicals that might get into your food or disrupt the ecosystem. We go above and beyond the organic certification by using No-Till methods to regenerate the soil and protect biological diversity. Our farm follows the National Organic Program Standards when making decisions about what to bring onto the farm. We are working with “Certified Naturally Grown,” as we develop new plots of land.
Looking Ahead
2024 is the third season for the Song Sparrow crew, which had a tough 2023 after a flood devastated our crops in Florence. Despite the tough losses, we pivoted to develop Song Sparrow Kitchen, a project which blossomed because of the support we received from a collection of farmers, herbalists, and food producers in our amazing community.
The Song Sparrow Crew
Song Sparrow Farm is owned and operated by Toni Hall, who views growing food as an act of resilience and resistance. They grew up in a garden, making music. They learned how to farm, how to be an educator, and how to get large quantities of food to food insecure communities. They lease farm land, work-trade for kitchen access, and run this business to grow community and plants, hoping that both will act as medicine.
In 2022, Lars Clavier joined the crew and has become an invaluable leader in the field, the kitchen and Song Sparrow’s markets.
Song Sparrow’s crew is queer and full of cheer. We share food, laugh a lot, and always make time to pet and play with one very sweet little farm dog named Dandy Lion.
Where to find our produce, pantry items, and prepared foods:
Spring and Summer Farmers Markets
- Tuesday in Northampton
- Wednesday in Florence
- Saturdays in Greenfield
- Sundays in Easthampton
Winter Farmers Markets
- Saturdays in Greenfield
- Sundays in Easthampton
Farm Stores & Groceries
- The Mycoterra Farm Store
- Oliver’s Farmstand
- River Valley Co-op in Northampton & Easthampton
- State Street Fruit Store
- Cooper’s Corner
- Bread Euphoria
Land Acknowledgement and History
Song Sparrow Farm is located on Nonotuck land, along the Cappawonganick River, now called the Mill. This land was respected, cultivated, tended to, and inhabited by the Nonotuck for literally thousands of years before the first white people set foot on this continent.
In the mid 1800’s an abolitionist community called the Northampton Association of Education and Industry settled on this land. Dedicated to abolition and sharing profits from their enterprises in the mill buildings and from growing sugar beets in the fields, this community reared and hosted the likes of Sojourner Truth, David Ruggles, and Frederick Douglass until their dissolution in 1846.