Page 6 - BusinessWest January 9, 2023
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 An aerial view of Barstow’s Longview Farm in the historic Hockanum Village.
long. More than that, these elements collaborate to create an inspiring new chapter to a story that began when Thomas Jefferson was patrolling the White House — and even a century before that, as we’ll see.
Herd It Through the Grapevine
They call it Pasture Day, and it is celebrated the first Saturday in May.
As that name suggests, this is the day when the cows, which have spent the winter in barns, get to head back into the pasture. It’s the unofficial start of spring, and a community event — many visitors, including several
families living in the area, will come out, watch the heifers cel- ebrate their first taste of fresh grass, enjoy live music, and have some ice cream.
“People kick up their heels and have a good time; they sit on the hill and watch,” said Barstow Manz, who doesn’t have a for- mal title, but serves as the farm’s marketing director. She also handles the farm tours, manages the dairy store and bakery, handles outreach, and acts as the main grant writer. She used to feed the calves, but the farm now has an automated calf feeder, one of many examples of innovation at this institution.
She said Pasture Day is just one of the many traditions that have lived on at this property since Septimus Barstow, origi- nally from Wethersfield, Conn., acquired the property on the bank of the Connecticut River that was first farmed at least 100 years earlier by the Lyman family.
Originally a crop farm that focused on asparagus, as many farms in Hadley did, as well as squash, corn, tobacco, and other staples, the Barstow’s operation eventually evolved into a dairy farm after the advent of refrigeration, which provided an avenue for selling milk wholesale.
By the 1930s, dairy was the primary focus at the farm, she went on, adding that, with a herd of 300 cows, this is small to mid-sized operation, one that is dwarfed by huge operations in this country and overseas.
It’s one of a dwindling number of dairy farms both in Massachusetts and across the U.S., she said, citing statistics showing that this country loses five dairy farms every day.
“And when you lose those farms, you’re losing a lot,” she went on. “You’re obviously losing food and food security for that community. But you’re also losing open space, which is good for wildlife habitat, ground- water, climate resilience, and food security. And you’re losing that heritage and that connection to your past.”
The reason for such attrition is simple. This is a very difficult business to be in, she said, adding that the federal government controls milk prices, and margins have historically been paper-thin.
“Even though it’s very perishable, milk is marketed on a global scale, so we’re competing against New Zealand, we’re competing against California ... and it’s kind of a broken system,” Barstow Manz explained. “The only
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 6 JANUARY 9, 2023
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