Brian Bennett has over 20 years of experience as an organic farmer and agricultural consultant. He currently owns and operates Bittersweet Farm, a diversified organic farm in Heuvelton, NY. Previously he has held roles such as organic consultant to several farms, farm manager at Cornell Cooperative Extension, and owner of his own small farm in Maine. He has a background in plant science, agriculture, and business management.

1. Brian Bennett
1249 State Highway 184, Heuvelton, NY 13654
(315) 344-0443
Employment:
2001 – Present Owner/Operator, Bittersweet Farm, Heuvelton, NY.
Operate full-time, year-round, diversified organic
agricultural enterprise. Including, but not limited to
organic pest management, crop planning, fruit,
vegetable and livestock production, season
extension in 3 tunnels and 1 greenhouse, and post
harvest handling of fruits and vegetables. Direct
marketing to customers through 2 Farmers’ Markets
and wholesale through Growers’ Cooperative.
Instruct students from St. Lawrence Univer-sity,
SUNY Potsdam, and Clarkson University in
general farm practices, as well as oversee volunteers
interested in sustainable skills. NOFA – NY
Organic Farmer of the Year 2014.
2011 – 2012 Consultant, North Country Grown Cooperative,
Massena, NY. Crop Specialist meeting with thirty
different growers to create forecasts for harvest and
sale. Responsible for maintaining written logs, as
well as creating spreadsheets and data entry for a
new online order and inventory control program.
1999 – 2011 Organic Consultant, C.A.R.I. at Iroquois Farm,
Lisbon, NY. Evaluated farm resources. Planned for
the production of small fruits and vegetables,
including field preparation, irrigation, weed and
pest management, as well as designing an outdoor
packing and handling facility. In 2011, prepared
written seed specifications, recommendations,
and projected yields for production and continued
organic certification under NOFA NY Certified
Organic LLC.
2006 – 2008 Organic Consultant, Champlain Heirloom Farm,
Rouses Point, NY. Visited farm several times to
evaluate all farm resources and interpret soil tests.
Provided step-by-step written instructions regarding
fitting fields, soil test recommendations, cover
cropping, season extension, IPM, and weed

2. management. Sourced certified organic transplants
for 10 acre commercial production of organic
tomatoes, for future organic processing.
1999 – 2001 Farm Manager, Cornell Cooperative Extension,
Canton, NY. Provide assistance and support for the
day to day operation, production, and research dem-onstration
aspects of the educational farm. Respon-sible
for inventory control, ordering supplies, equip-ment
maintenance log, and supervision of non- edu-cator
staff.
1985 – 1999 Owner/Operator, Breakneck Brook Farm, West
Baldwin, ME. Operate small-scale, part-time,
diversified, organic farm. Specialized in raised bed
production of vegetables and herbs, as well as free
range poultry production. Oversaw start-up of local
Farmers’ Market and sold wholesale to restaurants.
Worked closely with Soil and Water Conservation
Services to ensure sustainable practices for soil
erosion control and water quality.
Winter 1996 Teamster, Peace Fleece Woolens, Porter, ME.
Cared for and harnessed draft horses for woods
work. Worked with logger to skid pine logs and
birch to roadside for sale to mill.
1991 – 1996 General Manager/Director of Operations, Borduas
Graphics, Westbrook, ME. Managed the largest
screen printing company in the state of Maine. Re-sponsble
for all employee concerns, payroll, federal
and state requirements, scheduling, inventory, and
production planning. Oversaw sales staff and suc-cessfully
increased sales by 200%. Relied upon for
12 years of technical experience to conduct research.
1983 – 1996 Management Level Positions, Allen Screen Printing
and Borduas Graphics, Maine

3. Education: 1997 Customer Service Training
Xerox University
1996 Maine Quality Center, IDEXX Session III,
Southern Maine Technical College
1995 Crisis Intervention Training
Sweetser Children’s Services
1989 Sheep Shearing School
University of Maine Orono
1988 Basic Supervision Course
Keye Productivity Center
1982 B.F.A. Painting/Printmaking
Maine College of Art
1979 B.S. Candidate Plant Science/Agricultural Re-sources,
University of Rhode Island
1978 A.A. Liberal Arts/Bookeeping
Community College of Rhode Island
Community Organizations: Friends of Bittersweet Farm, Director of Education
and Community Outreach
Heifer Project International, Core Member Northern
NY Farmers’ Partnership
Member, Canton Farmers’ Market
Member, Ogdensburg Greenmarket (co-founder)
References: Sandra Porter (315) 393-3620
Reginald Sapp (315) 379-1333
Brenda Papineau (315) 229-5255
Paul Hetzler (315) 386-1443