Marble Hill Farm is a 150-acre farm located 13 miles southwest of Bloomington. Our pastures and woodlands sit on one of the highest points in Monroe County, offer spectacular views and a peaceful environment. We maintain a herd of 40 Angus beef cattle, 130 registered Shetland sheep and a mixed variety of 200 layer hens. We also have two horses, three donkeys, four ducks, and two livestock guardian dogs named Wendell and Carson. We began vending at the Bloomington City Farmer’s Market in 1999 and now sell at a variety of different markets, including online and on the farm. You can find us locally all year round at the Bloomington Farm Stop Collective and Bloomington Spinners and Weavers Artisan Store.

We are honored to have received a Monroe County Soil and Water Conservation District Emerging Conservationist award in 2018 as well a multi-year USDA NRCS Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) award in recognition of our conservation efforts to develop our regenerative farm ecosystem. In the Summer of this year, 2021, at the Indiana State Fair we received an Indiana River Friendly Farmer Award. This award recognizes farmers for their conservation practices and efforts to improve the environment.

We began our farm with six low-line Angus cattle in 1997. We rotate our cattle through lush green pastures with fresh water available at all times. We do not feed grain at any time and they are given antibiotics only if they become ill. We process at a clean and humane facility where our beef is state inspected prior to sale. We sell by the individual cut and in larger quantities for those interested in bulk orders. We also sell pasture-raised poultry eggs, raised from a mixed variety of hens that move about the farm in mobile chicken “trolleys.” The eggs are collected daily, washed and refrigerated. In 2012, we purchased 4 registered Shetland ewes and a ram. That small flock has now grown to 130. Raised for their wool only, these wonderful animals provide a magnificent array of natural colored wool, which is then sent to a small mill in northern Illinois for processing and returned for retail sale. Much of the white wool is then hand dyed on the deck of our sheep barn using plants and flowers found or grown on the farm. The farm also engages in the production of specialty crops, including fruits, herbs, vegetables and dye plants utilizing both field and high tunnel systems. Monarch habitat, critical planting areas and food producing trees support pollinators and wildlife.

Our core values come from the ground up. We believe sustainable small farming is possible only by first tending to the health of the soil and water. We have spent the past two decades working to ensure the soil is vibrant, the water clean and readily available, and the pastures lush with nutrient rich forages to ensure that both our animals and our soil continue to thrive. We believe our animals deserve to live in a safe, clean and healthy environment. We observe all our animals carefully and tend to their needs as they arise. We monitor their feeding patterns daily to make sure they are getting the proper nutrition and clean water they need. We believe in the importance of small farms in our community, not only to provide locally fresh and healthy foods, but also to share the importance of small farms as a way of life. We believe it is important for everyone to know their food and those who produce it. We work hard to share this connection to the land and livestock by opening the farm for educational tours for children and adults alike.