To help pay for college, Brian Farmer made extra money flipping buffalo burgers for his cousin at fair concession stands. Needing extra help, he hired a very attractive college pal who happened to be a co-ed name Keira and a year later they were married. Today, the couple runs the Yankee Farmer’s Market—a NH Buffalo farm that sells a variety of local products including USDA inspected, pasture-raised bison meat, elk, venison, naturally raised chicken, free range turkey, pastured pork, and grass-fed beef along with other goods sold at the farm.
By Helen Brody (August 2, 2015)
To help pay for college, Brian Farmer made extra money flipping buffalo burgers for his cousin at fair concession stands. Needing extra help, he hired a very attractive college pal who happened to be a co-ed name Keira and a year later they were married. After graduating from college they followed their respective career paths, Brian in engineering and Keira, marketing. Forever etched in their taste buds, however, was the flavor of those buffalo burgers.
In 1997, Brian’s cousin offered to sell the couple five buffalo and, unable to resist the temptation, they began raising these gargantuan beasts on family property in Hillsboro. While Brian continued to work full-time, Keira reduced her hours of work to care for the animals – meaning that she essentially gave them food and water. Buffalo are pretty much free maintenance, no housing required and they eat field grass and hay.
By 2002, the couple was able to purchase 16 acres of an 1800s dairy farm with a small farmhouse in Warner and Keira talked Brian into becoming a farmer full-time. Naming a farm is always a big decision but the couple having been born and raised in New Hampshire and with the last name of “farmer,” Yankee Farmer’s (with a possessive apostrophe “s” ) Market would be a curiosity and give Keira a beginning lead and twist for marketing their new farm business.
Today, while Brian manages all the animals and the farmland, Keira oversees ordering, accounts sales, and the website.
In 2014. Keira and Brian expanded out to Stoddard New Hampshire. Their Pitcher Mountain Farm is an Historic, beautiful 220 acre farm offering pastureland, hay land and 360 degree views. It had been operated as a Grass Fed Scottish Highland Beef farm for over 50 years.
Recently, to build on their budding agri-business, the couple began raising chickens, pigs, and cows, and selling the products of neighboring farms. “Ten years ago, I would have said ‘no-way’ about beef, but grass fed beef like buffalo is low fat meat and by opening our farm to more customers and bringing greater public awareness to our beliefs in raising humanely treated and well cared for animals, we hope the fear of eating what they see will be eased.”
Yankee Farmers Market Brian & Keira Farmer
360 Route 103 East
Warner, NH 03278
603-456-2833
http://www.yankeefarmersmarket.com
Sales Outlets
Retail: (Direct to customer sales)
Farmstand: check website for hours
Wholesale: (bulk sales to markets, restaurants, stores & schools)
Food Co-ops NH & VT
Specialty food stores and restaurants: NH, VT, ME, MA, CT, NY
Call 603-456-2833 for further information