Stillwater Farm is creating a permanent tented event space to expand their farm-to-table experiences.
Funded on 11/05/2021
Since 1991, the Braymiller family has regenerated the land to ethically raise sheep and chickens to market. But Stillwater Farm is not your typical farm focused solely on production. Through their nonprofit foundation CARE (standing for Cultivating a Restorative Environment), they support families battling pediatric cancer. Part of the foundation’s mission is to bring kids out on their 32-acre farm in Western New York and teach them about nutrition and the value of humanely raising animals for food. Stillwater hosts numerous on-farm dinners, including special events for pediatric cancer patients and their families from the Roswell Park Community, each sharing the farm’s philosophy of raising animals with dignity, while serving guests fresh, healthy meals straight from the farm.
Stillwater Farm’s loan from Steward will be used to improve farm infrastructure to enhance their on-farm events, which includes hosting farm-to-table experiences that feature local award winning chefs. Loan funds will be used to purchase level pads for the tents, install solar panels and battery storage, and create a permanent tent event space that will include a family room, restrooms, and an expanded adjacent parking lot. This will eliminate significant costs associated with renting equipment, and provides a sustainable solution for hosting on-farm events throughout the season.
Stillwater Farm believes in raising animals with care and respect, while working diligently to regenerate their 32 acres of rolling farmland. They are committed to humane, regenerative, and sustainable practices that benefit the land, animals, and their community. Their practices and philosophy leads them to:
Hello everybody. It’s Jay here, writing from Stillwater Farm, to share some unfortunate news with our Steward lender community.
In the early morning of January 29th, a fire broke out in our beloved horse barn. Although all animals were rescued, the barn is a complete loss. We’re grateful no one was hurt in the fire, but the loss of such essential infrastructure can be devastating to a small farm and it has been a difficult time for our family.
We have been so touched by the outpouring of support from community members, local businesses, and the various groups we have hosted over the years. We are also fortunate that insurance will cover a large portion of rebuilding the barn.
The fire will not interrupt our ability to offer our farm dinner series or other farm events in 2024. And we will continue our important work through our non-profit organization, C.A.R.E at Stillwater. Through C.A.R.E we host a number of events throughout the year for young guests from Roswell Park Cancer Center.
If you are interested in learning more about our recovery efforts and how you can support us, please go to www.stillwaterfarmboston.com.
Thank you for your continued support of our family farm.
-Jay Braymiller
Despite the wet and cold spring that we’ve experienced on the farm this season, we are busy gearing up for summer!
Construction is well underway and our two windproof tents are ordered so that we can ensure our events are comfortable for our guests, rain or shine!
We are also excited about our 2022 Summer Farm Dinner Series! We are hosting 18 dinners between mid-June to early October. On April 1st, at 5 pm we opened registration for our farm dinners. Less than ten minutes later, we had sold over 900 tickets! And we have a waitlist of over 100 people. We are blown away by our community’s support and are excited to welcome everyone to the farm this season to share the importance of supporting our local and regional food system.
In addition to our Farm Dinner Series, we are also hosting a couple of events for PUNT, a charity that raises money for families battling pediatric cancer. We also have two picnics setup for pediatric cancer patients.
Thank you for your ongoing support and we look forward to seeing some of you out at the farm this summer.
Thank you to everyone who participated in funding our project!
This loan will be made to Stillwater Farm Boston, a New York limited liability company, which raises and sells pastured lamb and poultry as well as hosts on-farm events.
This loan will be used to improve infrastructure to enhance on-farm events.
The total loan amount is $154,500 which will assist Stillwater Farm Boston grow and expand their business.
This loan is set at a 8% interest rate, with a 60 month term, and fully amortized monthly payments beginning 3 months after funds are disbursed.
Infrastructure --$30,000: This includes on-farm infrastructure improvements to better facilitate events, such as expanding the parking area, creating level tent pads, electrical work, and more.
Equipment--$35,000: This includes purchasing new tents and tables for farm-to-table dinners.
Toilet Facilities --$35,000: Build new toilet facilities with septic and water well to decrease costs on renting and cleaning rented toilets.
Storage & Office Space--$32,000: Build more storage and office space.
Solar Panels--$22,500: This includes the installation of new solar panels to supply on-farm energy.
Total Budget - $154,500
Get project announcements, farmer introductions, company updates, and more by subscribing to the Steward newsletter. Join our growing community of people who are making regenerative agriculture the foundation of our future.
Join a growing community of sustainably-minded lenders reaping the rewards from responsible farming