The weather forecast showed pouring rain. An ideal forecast for farm owners planning a four day vacation in late April. When the weather prohibits spring plowing and planting, departures can be quilt-free. We set off with the suitcase packed, our feet in decent shoes and both of us outfitted in stylish clothes. The itinerary included one day at Valley Forge, one day in Lancaster County PA, and the trek home brought us across New York’s Cherry Valley. Our day in Lancaster County included a visit to Stoltzfus Manufacturing in Honey Brook and Messicks in Mount Joy. For Larry these were essential stops. At Stoltzfus Manufacturing, we needed to exchange bale grabber parts. In Mount Joy, we...
Back in history, town residents elected pound keepers and fence viewers to keep animals from running at large. Evidently residents who lost animals must have known that they should check the book of strays to figure out where there animal might have gone.
Each year when the Christmas parties fade behind us and a new calendar year arrives, our attention at the farm focuses in on two primary things: the arrival of baby lambs and a new sugaring season. This year has been no different and as we enter the final days of February a lot has transpired in the first two months of 2018. Almost all of our expecting mother sheep have given birth to this year’s baby lambs, many of which are now multiple weeks old. These lambs spend their days exploring the barnyard and testing their running and jumping skills in small herds of youthful exuberance. A select few of this group will get to meet all of the farm’s...
As spring shows up in New Hampshire the focus at our farm shifts to the growing season. The fields change to a bright green and the trees in the forest unfurl their various buds, blossoms, and leaves. Animals head out of the barn onto pasture and field work begins getting the soil ready for vegetables, corn, and all the other things we hope to harvest over the summer and autumn. Below is a quick roundup of what's happened on the farm in April & May this year: A windy winter tore apart the plastic shell on our greenhouse so several days were spent this spring rebuilding one end wall and re-stringing the plastic that will create prime growing climate for our tomato plants. The...
