Family-Run Farm Resort Inspired By European Travel | Agriculture Business & Agritourism News

NEW BERLIN, N.Y. — Richard Greco Jr. teaches astrophysics at one of the country’s highest rated Catholic high schools, which he founded and is president of in Westchester County.

But that’s just his current day job.

During the spring planting season, autumn harvest and long summer in between, he spends all his free time upstate helping at Beardslee Homestead, a unique agritourism resort on a historic farm that dates to 1785.

“We’re providing a really American experience at a truly American farm with a very American history yet bringing an Italian flavor, flair and tradition to it that’s really exciting,” Richard said.

The theme was inspired by his family’s many vacations to Italy, where they often stayed on farms.

“With six kids, two to three in a room, it can be extremely expensive, so we rented farm houses,” he said. “In Italy, Spain, France, you stay and have these wonderful agricultural experiences, living on a vineyard or wheat farm. They make fresh food for you daily. You can even pick things yourself and chefs turn it into something wonderful. That’s what we wanted to reproduce here.”

It was Richard’s multi-faceted business career that took him abroad. He was a regular lecturer at universities in Rome and Milan.

He also held multiple government positions from being a White House Fellow assigned as special assistant to the secretary of defense, to being assistant secretary of the U.S. Navy from 2004-07 under President George W. Bush. He was responsible for the department’s $130 billion budget and an additional $30 billion in special funding for the Global War on Terror.

Five years ago, the Greco family purchased the Beardslee Homestead.The operation is all hands on deck for Richard, his wife, Marla, and their six children.

Mary, the oldest child, manages social media and coordinates weddings held onsite.

Ricky, a U.S. Marine currently serving in Okinawa, built an off-grid guest cabin, Lakers Lodge.

“He’s a supply corps officer with lots of inventory and equipment he’s responsible for,” Greco said. “Hopefully, one day, he’ll bring that expertise to the farm as well.”

Son, Max, has also been instrumental in farm construction projects, Richard said.

To some extent, all six children are now first-generation farmers and have quickly embraced the rural lifestyle, despite coming from non-agricultural upbringings in a hometown just north of New York City.

“From the moment we toured the property, all of us were doing cartwheels. We immediately fell in love with it,” said Cecilia, another sibling and the farm’s director of sustainability, who oversees most of the ag practices.

Production is currently focused on grapes, herbs, honey, apples, hops and eggs. Chickens, duck and turkeys roam freely, playing a vital role in controlling invasive pests, such as Japanese beetles and various fungi, and in regenerating the soil with essential nutrients.

Honeybees pollinate the apple orchard.

Beardslee is not certified organic but implements many organic practices.

Claudia, another of Richard and Marla’s children, studied at Cornell’s Nolan School of Hospitality and handles guest inquiries, but she enjoys farm duties, too.

“It’s something we’ve just learned,” she said. “I love spending all my time at the farm, whether feeding the chickens and collecting their eggs or doing work for the weddings.”

Fifteen-year-old Leo, who hopes to attend the California Institute of Technology to study astronomy, is also a contributor, but like Claudia, he offers another non-agricultural element.

He created a third-floor observatory with a state-of-the-art telescope and accompanying computer and software for visitors to view and photograph planets and stars.

The region’s exceptionally dark skies, secluded from much light pollution, offer great stargazing opportunities.

But the homestead’s history, owned by the Beardslee family until the Grecos purchased it, is as inviting for guests as the dark skies and other natural beauties.

The main house and hop house are both on the National Register of Historic Places.

The hop house is now home to a farm-based distillery, one of the resort’s two tasting rooms and an eclectic collection of antique farm equipment, from fertilizing and seeding machinery to wooden hops shovels and ice saws.

One of the barns has been turned into a library of old books, historical documents and maps that the Beardslees left behind.

Another barn is a fully-functioning blacksmith show.

“I’ve made knives with wooden handles and would love to forge Christmas ornaments someday,” Richard said.

The Grecos restored a 1785 tavern, which had previously been turned into a two-car garage, to its original appearance for overnight stays. The facility offers two second-floor bedrooms, a private bath, full kitchen and laundry facilities.

Cornell scientists say the beams in this structure are made from trees that lived between 1620 and 1640.

A second tasting room is in the Wedding Barn, which hosts receptions for up to 200 people. This structure was previously home to the Beardslees’ dairy herd, which was sold in the early 1990s.

Still not finished, Richard wants to convert a large, unused section of the barn into a dozen guest rooms.

“I’ve already begun removing stanchions and laying a wood floor,” he said. “It could provide really nice accommodations for overnight stays, two weeks or a month.”

The buildings facilitate the Greco’s European-inspired, hands-on guest experience filled with picking apples or enrolling in a cooking, pizza making or winemaking class.

Getting the vineyard established was one of Cecilia’s favorite tasks.

“My dad and I spend hours and hours together working in the vineyards, which has been very rewarding and fun,” she said.

Though fun, it hasn’t come without challenges, like when the family switched to organic practices and shortly after experienced black rot.

“It’s not as simple as saying, ‘OK, we’re no longer going to use any fungicides or pesticides,’” she said. “We’ve done a great deal of research into other organic vineyards in upstate New York, learning from them as we transition away from traditional applications.”

The vineyards feature a variety of grapes but primarily Frontenac, which can be used in vermouth in addition to wine, Richard said. He sees vermouth as another avenue in the farm’s future.

“My version of vermouth will have wormwood — the name vermouth actually means wormwood — but it will also have hops that we grow,” he said.

Beardslee Homestead’s main revenue stream is its resort business, hosting overnight stays and special events, such as weddings and banquets. Agricultural products add income and some are sold at area farmers markets.

Last summer, Greco enjoyed surprising success making and selling liqueurs.

“Italy is famous for making liqueurs out of anything, even artichokes — things you would never even think of,” he said.

The family has experimented with eight to 10 different liqueur varieties, finding success at New York’s Hamilton Farmer’s Market.

“Other vendors told us that the market needed something like this that nobody else was doing,” Richard said.

Richard’s experimental nature, paired with budget management experience, helps Beardslee thrive.

“I have a tendency to dream, to think big, to put money toward testing things out to see if they have real potential and then move forward,” he said. “Overall, trying to just show the love and passion you have for something, which gets other people excited, yet going about it in a very mature, responsible way.”

No amount of historic worth can spare Beardslee Homestead from the same challenges other 21st century farms face, though.

Last year, a Dutch firm wanted to buy land for solar panels.

While willing to explore different options, Richard said he is not willing to give up any ag land for such a purpose.

“In Europe, which is 10 years ahead of the U.S. on renewable energy, some of the biggest opposition has ironically come from environmentalists who say it takes away from needed agricultural land, puts food security at risk and threatens their countries’ agricultural heritage,” Richard said.

However, roof-mounted panels are used to power the farm’s general store, and there are plans in place for installing electric vehicle charging stations.

In terms of other conservation efforts, the farm only uses rain and well water to irrigate the vineyard and orchard, plastic use is kept to a bare minimum, and Beardslee has begun experimenting with compost as fertilizer and for land regeneration.

Everything together makes Beardslee what it is, a distinct agricultural experience for every visitor, be it a celebrity, like Jeff Keller, singing star of Broadway’s Phantom of the Opera, or an individual just seeking an escape.

“I want whoever comes to the farm to feel that it’s almost theirs,” Richard said.