Building Soil Like Chocolate Cake at Red Hill Harvest

For eight generations, the Masser family has worked the land at Red Hill Harvest, a 550 acre organic certified farm located in Pitman, PA. Now owned and operated by three generations of the family at once, Red Hill Harvest is an outstanding example of the long-term commitment, innovation, and stewardship that characterizes a successful organic farm. It's a farm where the family does practices that other people won't do to make themselves competitive. 

Red Hill Harvest didn't start out organic. For most of its history it was a conventional farm, and in the 90s harvesting was easy but as the years went on, harvesting became harder as the soil was becoming dry. Due to the health of the family, the health of the farm, and changing markets, the Massers began looking toward organic production. People were wanting more organic and smaller-sized potatoes, and a company approached them asking them to grow small-sized organic potatoes. They transitioned to organic about 10-12 years ago. At the start, everyone told them what wouldn't work for them, but they pressed on, later introducing cows to the farm to improve the health of the land. 

"It was incredibly informative, not only because of the technical knowledge that was shared, but also because of the openness and transparency of the Masser family in sharing both their successes and their challenges," said Chris Solt the executive director of PCO. That openness about the farm's journey left an impression on him. 

This June 17, sixteen people attended Red Hill Harvest's soil health event, organized in collaboration with PCO (Pennsylvania Certified Organic). Guest speaker Gary Zimmer led the audience through all things soil health: he talked. He talked about the concept of energy in energy out, meaning you must put energy into the soil to get energy out. So, inputs like fertilizer or manure go into the ground so that you can grow healthy crops, which are the outputs of the farming system. "Change comes from investment and knowledge," Zimmer said, meaning the only way that a farm will change is if the farm gets more money or learns something new. The goal for soil health, he said, is to make it look like chocolate cake. So dark, crumbly, and rich with organic matter. 

Zimmer also talked about cover crops and their role in soil health, explaining that each plant in a cover crop mix provides the soil with a different type of nutrient. "I never knew cover crop mixes were intentional, as each plant serves a different purpose," attendee Charlie Feyock of Kreamer Feed said. 

"I really enjoyed networking and meeting farmers or people in the industry from around the area. Everyone was so willing to share advice or free to ask questions. It was a full day of learning and meeting new connections," Nikki Kline of Belltown Farms commented. Beyond the technical lessons, the day was also a chance for people across the organic community to connect.  

The lessons shared that day reflect challenges Red Hill Harvest navigates every season. The biggest issue that comes with organic potato production is that growers must manage diseases, insects, and weeds without relying on most synthetic pesticides or herbicides. Late blight, Colorado potato beetles, wireworms, and weed pressure all affect yields. To be successful, you must carefully rotate crops, maintain healthy soils, select resistant varieties when possible, cultivate at the right time, and integrate biological approaches to pest and disease management. As Gary Zimmer pointed out, building healthy, biologically diverse soils creates stronger plants that are often more resilient to stress and disease. 

Raising cattle brings its own priorities, the most important being animal health. The first step in animal health is prevention, just like humans. Organic rules place importance on balanced nutrition, high-quality forage, pasture access, clean barn stalls, and practices that reduce stress. Maintaining healthy soils and well-managed pastures is foundational, as strong grazing systems contribute to animal health and resilience. Organic producers also face challenges related to forage quality, parasite management, weather variability, pasture productivity, and maintaining profitability while meeting the rigorous standards and consumer expectations associated with organic production.  

For the Masser family, that holistic approach is simply part of an eighth-generation commitment to the land and, in Gary Zimmer's words, to treating Mother Earth right.