We believe a farm should mirror nature's cycles.
Bane Farm is a small, diversified farm in Westport, Massachusetts focused on producing eggs, poultry and vegetables in the most sustainable and healthy ways possible. Just as in nature everything is cyclical, so should a farm be — with multiple crops and a variety of livestock acting as an integrated system.
Feel good knowing that when you enjoy Bane Farm’s delicious and nutritious eggs, meat and vegetables, you also support our mission to keep you, your family, and our local ecosystems healthy!
The Bane Farm Story
Producing crops at Bane Farm in Westport, Massachusetts began in 1997 as a labor of love, when Michael Bane purchased an old farm which had been neglected for over half a century. Farm fields were overgrown with vines and trees, and the buildings decaying and starting to fall down. After many years of work clearing the land and fixing infrastructure, Michael began growing vegetables part time, while still pursuing a full time career in Boston.
Bane Farm began to really take shape when we started selling extra vegetables at Lees Market in Westport in 2004. And when Michael retired from his dental practice in 2021, he started selling even more produce at the pop-up Bane Farm Stand in Cambridge, Massachusetts, ultimately turning to farming full time. Today you can find our eggs, meat and vegetables in both Westport and Cambridge.
Each year, crops are started in our farm’s greenhouse, then grown outside on approximately three acres surrounded by eight acres of pasture for livestock. The fields are surrounded by forest with a seasonal stream running through the middle of it all. The Westport River and Buzzard’s Bay are close by, their influence creating a micro-climate — with slower, cooler springs and extended, milder falls — from the slow-to-change ocean water effect.
Producing crops at Bane Farm in Westport, Massachusetts began in 1997 as a labor of love..
Our Farming Philosophy
At Bane Farm we believe farmers should be stewards of the land first...
Here at Bane Farm we’re working to utilize nature’s own systems of growth, decay and rebirth to build healthier soil, plants and animals and, in turn, bring you the healthiest and best tasting eggs, meat and vegetables.
We’re also working to reduce off-farm inputs as much as possible, as excessive reliance on external inputs like fertilizers, pesticides and manufactured products can lead to extractive, unnatural and ultimately unsustainable systems.
Toward that end our crops are planted in a six year rotation with two years of the rotations in a complex sod grazed by our animals. Cover crops and compost are also turned under to feed the soil and create a diverse micro-biome. Our permanent pastures are becoming healthier and stronger by rotational grazing to capture the sun’s energy at its peak nutritional value and convert it into deeper soil. The results are happier and more resilient animals every year.
Bane Farm offers an alternative to industrial farming, demonstrating that a decentralized small farm system is much healthier for the land, the water, the air, and for the product — the meat, eggs and vegetables that we, and you, eat. Human-scale farms don’t overload the capacity of the land to absorb manure and offal. And with our on-farm processing, our birds aren’t stressed by being trucked to processing plants — also avoiding overuse of petroleum. We aim for Bane Farm to have better and deeper soil — as well as healthier water, woods, and local ecosystems when we pass it on to the next generation of farmers.
At Bane Farm we believe farmers should be stewards of the land first, and that local food production will always be better for our community and the world.
