Brier Hill Farm is a third-generation farm nestled in the foothills of the Green Mountains, in the hamlet of Johnsonville, NY. Here we raise registered beef cattle, some pigs, and meat chickens. Our goal is to raise efficient and productive cattle that produce high-quality, delicious beef. In 2023 we started marketing freezer beef to our family and friends, and after great reviews, we decided to market our different meats to the public. Starting in May 2024, we began selling beef, pork, and chicken at the Menands Retail Farmers Market in Menands, NY. If you are interested in trying our locally raised, farm-fresh beef, you can find us there every Saturday from 10AM to 2PM.
Our Cattle
Our herd at Brier Hill Farm features both registered Angus and Registered British White Park. We find they complement each other very well, featuring strong maternal traits and exceptional carcass quality while remaining efficient on a forage base diet.
American British
White Park
An English breed that can be traced back to 80 AD. These White cattle lived in the wild until the 1800’s, allowing for natural selection to create a superior breed of cattle. One Bull and Five cows were brought to the US in 1940, in case of a Nazi invasion of England. Today, the breed is regarded for its fertility, strength, calving ease, growth, milk production and maternal abilities, as well as high quality carcass traits.
Angus
The Business Breed. Originating in Northeast Scotland, the first Angus bull was introduced in Victoria, Kansas in 1873. They were used to breed Texas Longhorns, creating a polled, black, crossbred calf that performed better throughout the winter, leading to heavier
calves at spring time. Modern Angus cattle combine all the essential basics of efficient beef
production: Calving ease, fertility, Mothering and milking ability, growth, ease of fleshing,
longevity, and of course superior marbling and tenderness.
High-Quality Genetics that Raise High-Quality Beef
We put a strong emphasis on the genetics of our herd. We purchased our first registered cow in 2010 and have been investing in our genetics ever since. Utilizing Artificial Insemination, we have been able to introduce some of the best beef genetics from all over the world. Our goal is to focus on the mama cow. By raising high-quality females, we can then rely on them to raise the high-quality beef that our customers love.
Those high-quality females feature strong maternal function. The ability to have a calf, get it up and nursing, raising it to weaning and doing it year in and year out is incredibly important to us. In order to achieve this, we focus on foot, leg, and hip structure, udder quality, fertility, hormonal function, and feed efficiency.
The Bull Pen
Great cows raise great bulls. We take great pride in raising high-quality breeding bulls. We normally retain one or two prospect bull calves each year. Not only do we utilize these bulls in our breeding program, but we also sell and sometimes lease bulls to other breeders. We have sold bulls to farms across the northeast, including NY, VT, NJ, and CT.
Semen Now Available!
Our two herd bulls, BH Grindstone 077 and Brier Hill Jupiter have really impressed, and we have collected semen on these two studs. Fertile, masculine, and backed by proven dams – use these bulls if you want to create females that thrive in a direct market or forage-based operation! They have proven themselves as individuals that are docile and easy to work but know how to breed cows. Please contact us if you are interested in ordering semen.
Brier Hill Farm 