Page 5 - BusinessWest January 9, 2023

Richard F. Burkhart, CPA and Salvatore J. Pizzanelli, CPA, JD, PFS
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and sustainable agriculture.
They all come together in an impossibly beautiful, picture-post-
card setting, the historic Hockanum Village, framed by the Connecti- cut River and the Holyoke Range, scenery that belies the myriad and ever-more severe challenges facing dairy farmers — and all those in agriculture — today.
It was these challenges — and especially very trying times rough- ly two decades ago that prompted the sixth and seventh generations of the Barstow family to take the motto that has defined this busi- ness — ‘looking forward since 1806’ — to new dimensions.
Indeed, a family that has always embraced change and diversi- fication (much more on that later) has taken some dramatic new turns in recent years, first with Barstow’s Dairy Store and Bakery, and later, through a partnership with Vanguard Renewables to build one of the first farm-powered anaerobic digesters in New England. Meanwhile, the 450-acre dairy farm produces 19,000 pounds of milk daily and is a member of the Cabot Creamery/Agri-Mark Coop- erative; almost all of the farm’s milk is supplied to the Cabot/Agri- Mark facility in West Springfield and is made
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into Cabot butter and other products.
The anaerobic digester (AD), installed in
2013 and expanded in 2016, converts cow manure — the herd at the farm produces some 9,000 tons of it annually — and food waste into electricity, heat, and fertilizer.
It has become an important revenue source for the farm, but it also makes a statement about what the sixth and seventh generations of this family — and those that came before them — stand for.
“The AD speaks to what we believe in as
a family — that we need to lower our carbon footprint and play a role in mitigating climate change,” Barstow Manz said, adding that, for this family, sustainability comes in many forms and means many things, including work to ensure that this business will be there for the next generations.
“This is a good place to raise a family in a multi- generational business — everyone can see how life works; the goal has always been to leave something for the next generation.”
Her father, David Barstow, director of spe-
cial projects at the farm, agreed. He said that,
while many things have changed at this location — in general, but especially during his lifetime — what hasn’t changed is that con- cept of preserving, and persevering, for those who will continue the tradition.
“My father and grandfather used to talk about working with hors- es,” he said, adding that change and advancement are constants on the farm; the key is to embrace that change and be at the forefront of it. “This is a good place to raise a family in a multi-generational business — everyone can see how life works; the goal has always been to leave something for the next generation.”
All of the various components of Barstow’s Longview Farm make for an intriguing tour — one that usually includes lunch on site — and Denise and other family members offer many of them, all year
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JANUARY 9, 2023 5
Evolution and diversification have been hallmarks of Barstow’s Longview Farm since 1806.