Barstow's Longview Farm

Two hundred years ago, the Barstow family settled in Hadley Massachusetts. The farm is situated in a small picturesque hamlet called “Hockanum” which has been designated a National Historic District on Route 47, a Historic Scenic Byway in Hadley, Massachusetts.

Barstow’s Longview Farm has been a working dairy farm since 1806 and is presently run by sixth generation brothers, Steven and David, and seventh generation Steven Barstow II. The family had continued to sustain a living during the many rollercoaster years of the fluctuating dairy market without diversifying. This changed drastically in the early 2000s as milk prices tanked, dairy farms in New England buckled, and the family farm’s future looked largely uncertain.

In 2008, the Barstow family stabilized the future of their operation and the future generation’s participation in the farm by opening a dairy store and bakery on a parcel of land in front of the barns with excellent road access and a gorgeous view of the land that they farm.

Since, they have installed an anaerobic digester and robotic milkers, offer farm tours and sell compost – the continuation of diversification in an unstable milk market. It is with a continued deep commitment to the land and the environment that the Barstows’ not only “go retail” but also “open up” their farm to interface more with the public, in order to enhance the community’s awareness of the importance of farming and the importance of all people being stewards to the land.