June is Dairy Month! A time to celebrate local dairy: milk, cheese, ice cream and more! ‘Celebrating’, however, looks a bit different in the age of COVID-19. With incredibly low milk prices, lost markets with the closure of restaurants, schools, and institutions, and the added stress of social distancing, new farm training protocols, and so.much.sanitizing, … Read more
June is Dairy Month! A great time to learn more about how dairy impacts our economy, planet, diet, land use, and how dairy farming connects us with heritage in the Pioneer Valley. This annual series, usually involving farm tours and experts in the field of dairy, will take a different form this year in the … Read more
By NOAH BAUSTIN For the Gazette Published: 5/23/2020 Pasture Day is Denise Barstow’s favorite time on the farm. The event is an annual celebration of spring at Barstow’s Longview Farm in Hadley. In a normal year, hundreds of people gather on the farm to watch the heifers celebrate their first taste of fresh grass in … Read more
In line with our commitment to producing the highest quality milk, Barstow’s Longview Farm recently received a generous Local Farmer Award from the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation to purchase the Lely MQC-C2. The Lely MQC-C2 is an add-on piece of equipment to a Lely Robot Milker. The equipment tests milk fat, protein, milk conductivity, temperature, … Read more
The Name the Calf Contest is a beloved staple of visiting Barstow’s Dairy Store and Bakery. However, with the COVID-19 situation, Barstow’s is operating as a drive-thru service only farmstand. In-store amenities like the name the calf contest is temporarily unavailable. But our new girls need names! There are about 100 heifer calves born each … Read more
Here at Barstow’s Longview Farm everybody has a personality so everybody has a name. Calves born around the same time have names that begin with the same letter. These calves were born in the last half of April. Congratulations to our Name the Calf Contest winners! Harriet by Carolyn Cave Honey by Katrina Farnham Hope … Read more
By SCOTT MERZBACH Daily Hampshire Gazette Published: 5/12/2020 HADLEY — Taking tentative and seemingly nervous steps, six heifers had a new experience awaiting them Tuesday morning as they jumped from a trailer into the pasture where they will be spending the next few months. Only moments after their hooves hit the grass, though, the young … Read more
Pasture Day is personally my favorite event of the year. It marks the start of spring and is a true community event in my neighborhood. Usually Pasture Day is the first Saturday in May. Visitors enjoy frolicking cows, live music, farm tours, loads of ice cream, and maybe a few grass stains from playing/rolling on … Read more
Big news! The nesting bald eagles in the meadow have not one, not two, but THREE eaglets in the nest! We are so happy for the proud parents! *A quick reminder that the meadow is private property* A recent bird count in the meadow also accounted for the species listed below. A great reminder that … Read more
The Name the Calf Contest is a beloved staple of visiting Barstow’s Dairy Store and Bakery. However, with the COVID-19 situation, Barstow’s is operating as a drive-thru service only farmstand. In-store amenities like the name the calf contest is temporarily unavailable. But our new girls need names! There are about 100 heifer calves born each … Read more