Monadnock Food System Spotlight of the Month: Milton Trimitsis, Five Sigma Farm
How did a master carpenter from Belmont, MA end up sheep farming in Sullivan, NH?
Blame his dogs, Luc and Cass.
It all began when Milton decided to train his two Border Collies to herd his flock of six sheep he shared with a friend. To say he got the bitten with the "livestock bug" is an understatement. He is currently running 250 sheep on his rocky farm which sits at 1300 feet above sea level in Sullivan, surrounded by forest and farmland.
From day one, Milton has been working to improve the soil of his land starting with NRCS cost-share funds he was granted for seeding, de-compacting the soil, soil supplements, fencing and roadwork. He is slowly transitioning his pastures to support management-intensive grazing from May 15 - end of November. This type of grazing system allows animals to eat from a small portion of pasture while other portions recover. He rotates his sheep to a new portion daily and sometimes twice a day in the summer.
This might sound like a lot of work but the benefits are numerous -- "better, more efficient rationing of feed and forage by livestock; healthier pasture because plants plants can recover and become more resilient between grazing; increased pasture yield; decreased use and cost of machinery and fuel; and more even distribution of manure, which creates healthier soil, increased soil fertility and reduces runoff and potential water contamination," according to a Farm Aid post about Trimitsis.
The discovery of PFAS (manmade, industrial chemicals) that don't easily degrade and can be found in soil and in water supplies, is especially alarming to Trimetsis. Industrial agriculture and meat production are often blamed for this and he works to inform people that models like his -- raising livestock on pasture -- mitigates climate change by putting carbon back into the soil.
Milton is vice president of the Granite State Graziers, an organization committed to spreading the practice of pasture raised livestock. In September, they hosted a pasture walk of Bill Fosher's Edgefield Farm in Surry, NH. More experienced graziers share knowledge with beginning farmers to foster competent, knowledgeable grass farmers who, "demonstrate the environmental, social, human and animal health benefits of pasture-based production systems...and work to develop a system of agriculture that is both financially and environmentally sustainable," according to the Granite State Graziers website.
Milton sells whole lamb and individual cuts, and he delivers directly to his clients—individuals and restaurants. His meats can often be found at the Monadnock Food Coop, as well. LEARN MORe
