The Hockanum Rural Historic District, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993, is a rural community encompassing a classically famous landscape along the Connecticut River in Hadley, Massachusetts. The fertile farmland and quiet village is home to families that have been here for generations. On Hockanum Day, meet, discuss, and learn about … Read more
American dairy farmers are struggling. At this point, this should be news to no one. It is mentioned on every news station from NPR to Fox. But nobody is doing a very good job of explaining why they are struggling or what could in fact be done about it. There’s a lot of things going … Read more
Dairy farms are dotted across the New England landscape. But with recent trends of low milk prices, over-supply, increased costs of doing business, consolidation of agricultural conglomerates, and the power and wealth in ag going to only a few: those dairies are being shuttered. Dairy farmers, especially small family farms in New England, are in … Read more
Barstow’s Dairy Store and Bakery visitors and land conservationist Lee Halasz of the Kestrel Land Trust enjoyed a educational stroll down through conserved farmland for the Dairy Month Lecture Series on Sunday, June 10! In case you missed it, we have this short recap for you: The Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) program preserves and protects agricultural land, … Read more
Barstow’s Dairy Store and Bakery and soil agronomist Cathy Shugg of Crop Production Services enjoyed a great afternoon in the corn field for the Dairy Month Lecture Series on Sunday, June 3 at Barstow’s Longview Farm. In case you missed it, we have this short recap for you: Dairy farmers steward 10% of the agricultural land in the … Read more
June is Dairy Month! Learn more about how dairy impacts our economy, our planet, our diet, our land use, and how dairy farming connects us with heritage in the Pioneer Valley. Join the conversation with experts across all fields of dairy (get it?!). The Dairy Month Lecture Series is hosted by Barstow’s Longview Farm and Barstow’s Dairy … Read more
June is Dairy Month! Learn more about how dairy impacts our economy, our planet, our diet, our land use, and how dairy farming connects us with heritage in the Pioneer Valley. Join the conversation with experts across all fields of dairy (get it?!). The Dairy Month Lecture Series is hosted by Barstow’s Longview Farm and … Read more
Every day is Earth Day on a dairy farm! Like most dairy farmers in this country, we live in the place that we work. That means each morning we greet our day, walking from our back step, into our dairy barns. We care for our animals and land, providing wholesome, nutritious, safe, and sustainable food … Read more
In honor of National Bird Day, we are highlighting one of our favorite winter birds that frequents the farm. They don’t need much highlighting, the Northern Cardinal stands out on his own against the white, gray, and brown of a New England winter! Cardinals are year round residents in Massachusetts. Their powerful beaks crack open … Read more
Hockanum Village is in a 100-year flood-plain. While this contributes to fertile soil, it also means this area has gone through some very extreme flooding. During heavy, extensive rain and during rapid snow melt in the north, the Connecticut River floods and the fields and sometimes even roads are inundated. You can visit the Hockanum … Read more