In the heart of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Omar Beiler runs a 90-acre family farm with two unique divisions: Beiler’s Heritage Acres, which specializes in heirloom grains, farm-milled flours, and pastured eggs and Roam Dairy, which produces milk and dairy products.
Market disruptions and major corporate producers have made human-scale dairy production challenging at best. But by investing in on-farm processing equipment and developing regional distribution partnerships, Omar is creating a value-added business model that brings farm-fresh quality directly to consumers and creates a sustainable foundation for his family farm.
Meet The Farmers
Omar Beiler has been farming in Lancaster County for over forty years. Driven by a desire to continually improve the land he stewards and make it more fertile and productive, he transitioned to organic farming six years ago. While his certification has lapsed, these principles still guide his decision-making. Omar’s children work alongside him on the farm every day. By taking control of the entire supply chain from seeds and calves to stores and cafes, Omar will be able to pass on to them a farm that is both economically sound and ecologically sustainable.
Regenerative & Sustainable Practices
Amish farming communities beautifully represent a key element of Steward’s mission: empowering more hands on the land. In many cases, the scale of modern agricultural stewardship is completely unsustainable—individual farmers are tasked with managing hundreds of acres, which cannot be done regeneratively. In contrast, the Beilers and their neighbors demonstrate the value of a community of shared generational knowledge and a commitment to human-scale care.
- Maintaining animals on the farm provides economic diversity and a renewable source of fertility. Crops are fed to livestock and manure fertilizes fields, creating a sustainable closed-loop.
- Cover crops reduce weed pressure, prevent erosion, and add organic matter to the soil, increasing its water-holding capacity
- No artificial fertilizers or pesticides are used.
- On-farm processing reduces transport costs and emissions and strengthens the local farm economy.
- Family members work side-by-side exchanging and preserving generational knowledge.
