Alex Balsam and Ian Calder-Piedmonte established Balsam Farms in 2003. Their primary mission is to responsibly farm the land they have been entrusted with in order to produce locally grown foods to their customers; nearly all of their produce is grown according to the current organic guidelines. They also plant yearly cover crops in order to put nutrients back into the soil and to aid the prevention of soil runoff and loss from the elements.

In 1875, Gurden and Henry Ludlow returned to Bridgehampton after years of labor on a whale-hunting ship in the Bering Sea. The brothers each bought ten acres of land in Bridgehampton and constructed their own farmhouses. Art Ludlow, Gurden Ludlow’s great-grandson, and his wife Stacey Ludlow are now the owners of the Mecox Bay Dairy farmhouse, which Gurden Ludlow constructed over a century ago.

Gurden’s son, Henry Ludlow, fueled the Ludlows’ passion for farming; he built the dairy barn and grew potatoes. Two generations later, Art Ludlow, brother to Harry Ludlow from Fairview Farm, developed a passion for farming: he grew up harvesting potatoes and corn, and milking the cattle. Art decided to return to his childhood roots of raising cows; they later expanded to making cheese from the excess milk. Art and Stacey Ludlow have altered their business to focus on their two-dozen cows and their cheese-making enterprise.

The Halsey family first settled on the shores of Mecox Bay in the 1640s. John and Evelyn Halsey, the 11th generation of Halsey farmers, have carried on the Halsey farming tradition that began more than three centuries ago, accompanied by their two daughters, Amy and Jennifer. John Halsey grew up alongside his father’s Mecox potato farm where he learned the craft of farming while his wife Evelyn got her initial experience of apple growing on her parents’ apple orchard in Vermont. In 1969, John and Evelyn Halsey established their small-scale retail store, the Milk Pail, where their main product was milk by their cattle. They have enhanced their business by selling a variety of products, such as apples from their orchard, an assortment of other fruits and vegetables, flowers, and an array of baked goods.

The Halsey Family has been farming for 13 generations. Established in 1961 by Peachie and Ray Halsey, the Green Thumb Organic Farm is currently managed by three generations of the Halsey Family: Ray, Peachie, Joana, Trisha, Billie, Larry, Ray, Jesse, Sammy, and Madeline. Prior to their farmstand, the Halsey Family practiced potato farming. They later transitioned to managing their road-side farmstand where they chiefly sold a selection of vegetables. Today, the Green Thumb showcases their USDA-certified organic fruits, vegetables, herbs, and plants. They also display various shelf items, most of which are locally-made and hand-crafted.

It all begins with an idea.