Berkshire Ag Ventures nurtures farms into next generation
The cows at Hawthorne Valley Farm in Columbia County are only in the barn when necessary.
Patrick Grego
Fort Hill Farm owners Paul Bucciaglia and Rebecca Batchie, and son, with Dan Carr.Provided
West Stockbridge Farmers Market.Patrick Grego
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Mindy Yang points to wildflowers growing at Silverbrook Manor, the Millbrook home where she and her husband, William Harris, operate a community-supported agriculture operation.
Photo By Nathan Miller
At Silverbrook Manor, a property on Route 82 near the Cornell Cooperative Extension campus, Yang and Harris are building what they describe as a community-centered farm focused on regenerative agriculture and education.
After Washington officials recently determined the operation could proceed without a special-use permit, the couple resumed plans they had been developing since purchasing the property in 2021. They have restored former horse paddocks into native wildflower habitat and begun working with experts in regenerative and Indigenous agriculture, with plans to eventually offer educational tours and operate a private community-supported agriculture program.
The history of the space looms large for Yang and Harris. They pieced together the home’s history through research and documents and photographs discovered beneath floorboards and in the attic.
An historic photograph shows how former owners of Silverbrook Manor decorated their dining room.Photo By Nathan Miller
Harris said the house’s documented history dates back to before the Revolution.
“When Paul Revere was running down the street yelling ‘the British are coming,’ someone was here milking cows,” Harris said.
During the late-1800s and early 1900s, the home was owned by an actress named Katherine La Salle and her husband, Wentworth Bacon, a World War I veteran and dairy farmer who corresponded with President Franklin D. Roosevelt to voice his concerns about the dairy industry at the time.
The house reflects its storied past. Harris has taken care to establish design motifs that are at once modern and referential to the house’s history.
Modern art — some painted by Harris himself — and chic furniture mix and mingle with original crown molding, ornate fireplaces and vintage flooring that signal the house’s age.
For Yang and Harris, stewardship of the land and stewardship of the house go hand in hand — impulses that drew them both to regenerative farming.
Yang’s CSA concept was born out of dissatisfaction with the traditional model. She described typical CSAs as being transactional. That transaction gets food to people who want it, but they leave with vegetables and still have to rely on growers and suppliers to get more. Teach someone to fish, however, and the world might actually start to change, Yang said.
Yang’s CSA would center education and sharing knowledge. She has a vision that includes an intimate and private group of members taking advantage of the green space, walking through the fields and gardens, and learning and teaching others about how to forage for wild food and how to grow vegetables, herbs and medicinal plants.
“Nobody’s learning anything, nobody’s getting their hands dirty,” Yang said. “We can make the most beautiful painting and collect the most beautiful things but we don’t get to share with anyone.”
The CSA operates on a tiered subscription model. Currently, the so-called Farm Club offers a community share level — designed with individuals and families in mind — for $85 per month, a merchant share tier for $120 per month and a creative share tier — geared toward chefs, educators, herbalists and the like — for $285 per month.
Yang said there are currently only three members in the CSA. The couple had waited to fully advertise the CSA until regulatory hurdles with the Town of Washington had been cleared.
In April 2026, Yang and Harris received a letter from Washington’s zoning code enforcement officer advising them to seek a special use permit from the Planning Board under the town’s regulations on private clubs and educational institutions. The pair appeared before the Planning Board in June, but were told their operation didn’t qualify as a private club — which typically refers to country clubs or other recreational organizations that operate a clubhouse for social gatherings — or an educational institution, which refers to things like boarding schools and colleges.
In fact, Planning Board members took the position that the couple’s proposed operation is covered by right under New York State law and the town’s zoning code, and told Yang and Harris to carry on with the CSA operation.
Now, the couple are pressing forward with their goals, albeit slowly and methodically.
Outside the old farmhouse, Yang’s garden and greenhouse look like barely-controlled wildness — which is exactly the point.
Yang centers regenerative farming techniques that work to improve soil health and local ecology. Her commitment to naturalist practices runs deep — she even refuses to use a tractor on the property for fear of compacting soil too much and a desire to emit as little harmful chemicals as possible.
Yang and Harris emphasized the influence that indigenous farmers have had on their philosophy and techniques. Yang mentioned the “three sisters” — corn, beans and squash — and how planting them all together creates a synergy that helps each of the plants thrive despite being in such close quarters to each other.
She takes that approach throughout the garden, ditching herbicides and pesticides for pest-deterring plants like marigolds and other aromatic flowers.
Yang invites those who are interested in joining the CSA to visit silverbrookmanor.com to learn more about the operation and pricing. The couple emphasized a private, intimate approach to membership, saying they plan to vet all applicants before accepting any applications.
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Karina Powers teaches the Dances of Chihuahua workshop class in the Stissing Center’s Banning Hall. She led a group of five children and their supporters, teaching them about the region of Chihuahua and walking them through a cultural dance.
Photo by Lucia Iandolo
Powers is a professional dancer and singer who received her master’s degree in Mexican Folklore Dance from Escuela de la Danza in Baja, California, Mexico. She is an active member of the Millbrook community where she teaches classes that educate people on Mexican culture and performing arts.
The workshop was held at the Stissing Center for Arts and Culture’s Banning Hall, where larger performances are held for members of the community. Powers began by showing families photographs of her history as a dancer and singer, as well as the traditional clothing worn by dancers in Chihuahua.
Powers said that as an artist you can learn to feel the energy from other people by seeing the emotions through their movement.
“I think it’s best for the people to get educated about folklorical dance from Mexico. It’s very important to me, because I do it with passion, with a lot of respect, and it’s what I want to show to them,” Powers said.
Beginner dancers learn some new moves during the Dances of Chihuahua event.Photo by Lucia Iandolo
As the workshop continued, families gathered on the stage as Powers walked through the steps while incorporating how they are historically important to the region of Mexico. The children and their parents were able to learn the dance while being immersed in the culture of Chihuahua.
Powers taught the families about folklorico shoes, the specific footwear that dancers wear for Mexican folk dancing. She explained that the footwear and clothing are important for dancers to safely perform fast-paced movement on wooden floors, and she allowed a child to wear one of the skirts during the workshop.
The “Dances of Chihuahua” event was held as part of the Stissing Center’s Summer Children’s Series, which is a program that includes diverse programming for kids. They have workshops, presentations, plays and educational events open to all children in the community and made possible by the Center’s donors.
Jose Vazquez Nava is an Event Production Intern at the Stissing Center. He said this event is important for community members in the Hudson Valley because it appeals to a culture that is not regularly showcased and involves children in more diverse programming.
“I think having these programs are so important, not only for children, but we could probably encourage kids who want to pursue dancing or a career in media arts,” Vazquez Nava said. “Centers like ours bridge that gap between a kid learning math or learning a new culture or art, which is very important.”
Powers showed the children and their families a choreographed routine with music while teaching them certain traditions that dancers follow. She explained that dance is not only physical, but emotional. She emphasized dancers making noises and screaming during their performances to get the audience’s attention and treat the performance like a celebration.
The Stissing Center for Arts and Culture’s Summer Children’s Series runs until Aug. 22, 2026. Each Saturday they hold free or “pay what you can” events sponsored by the Bank of Millbrook and Sugar Hill Farm. The events feature live music, storytelling and interactive workshops.
Powers said it is important to honor and respect this form of dance as it takes years to learn not only the artform, but the history behind it.
“Mexico is art, Mexico is history, Mexico is culture, and the way some people show it is not right,” Powers said. “For me, it’s very important to be educated because we have to take this with honor and respect.”
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