About:

The Good Earth (TGE) is not your average farm and garden center. Yes, we offer a wide range of high-quality pet foods, animal feeds, fertilizers, seeds, and related supplies to support your hobby, your passion, and your business. But The Good Earth strives to be much more. As individuals, we have the tendency to view ourselves singly, but the fact is, we are all part of a larger whole, just as plants and animals are. The Good Earth’s overarching goal is to promote the well-being of the entire community

by providing a portion of it with its own healthy ecosystem in which to grow and prosper.

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In addition, TGE serves the needs of the surrounding and growing, farming community, providing the material and intellectual resources they need to succeed. TGE will serve as a catalyst for the promotion and expansion of locally, responsibly, and sustainably grown food. Through a variety of programs and service offerings, it helps connect producers and consumers, strengthening both.

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Although you’ll be seeing some changes at the store, we will continue to stock

your pet, farm & garden supplies. If you don’t see what you need, make sure you let us know. And - through time, we’ll be adding some of our own touches- like a line of pollinator-supporting plants next spring.

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History:

Al Pickard, the owner of Gardner Agway for 38 years, has officially retired and turned the reins over to us - the Altobelli/Lane clan + of Westminster. Agway has been renamed The Good Earth. You may know ML Altobelli from ML’s Greenery in Motion, the Westminster Farmer’s Market, Growing Great Food and Flowers, the Montachusett Agricultural Alliance, or even from classes taught at Agway in previous years. You may know Dana Altobelli (an Oakmont History teacher) or Margherita Altobelli  - a Westminster Library Trustee.  We have three other owners - Stephen Altobelli and his wife Jackie Altobelli - who is a fixture at our store, and our family friend Jane Stafford. 

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Our own family farm goes back to the 1700s and hosts goats, ducks, dogs, cats, a horse (30 years old!!), and abundant wildlife (that can be both challenging and fascinating!!  We have growing beds along with a greenhouse, and ML has run the fine garden landscaping service, ML’s Greenery in Motion, for more than 30 years, so we have some experience with the realities of working with the land and the plants and animals that share it.