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
There are a couple downsides to living on a dairy farm. First of all, the neighbors are early risers – and they drive big trucks or tractors. So by 5:30am, you’re probably wide awake. Secondly, when the cows get out they might enjoy a tramp through your garden before they get wrangled back into the … 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
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
May 1, 2018 Juggling with Julia by Julia Robarts I had the chance to attend a dairy farm tour recently, at Barstow’s Longview Farm, a 7th generation family farm in Hadley, Massachusetts. If you’ve never done a farm tour before, I highly recommend it! Much like my recent tour of The Country Hen, I learned so much about … Read more
Barstow’s Longview Farm’s anaerobic digester receives more than 14,000 tons of food waste annually from food manufacturers, processors, and users such as Cabot Creamery, Geissler’s Supermarkets, HP Hood, Wind River, Cains, Garelick, Amenico, and McDonalds. Add in the 9,000 annual tons of cow manure from the farm and we’re in business! The zero-waste, closed-loop Farm … 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