A New Era for an Old Farm

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June 25, 2024

Last year we had the great fortune to acquire a neighboring farm with Molly’s parents through a land contract with the prior owners, Christine (Chris) and Bob Brannon. Chris and Bob owned the property since the late 70s when they had dairy cattle and a small milking operation. Their milking parlor and now-vintage equipment still sits in the barn, untouched since they stopped farming in 1985. A calendar from that year still hangs on the wall with Bob’s handwriting detailing the tasks for that month.

Originally, the Brannons also owned the property where Molly’s parents now live, which they considered the “back 40.” This acquisition means that we are bringing these parcels back together. In the light of the fact that 2,000 acres of farmland are lost every day in the US, this is no small matter. We are delighted to bring agriculture back to this once working landscape. And we get to hear Bob’s stories and gather his insights about how he farmed this land, as he and Chris continue to live across the street.

This property enables us to expand our operation (we’ve added pastured pork!) and provide more financial stability to the business. This farm has 15 acres of pasture, an old bank barn that we hope to gradually convert into an on-farm store and maybe an indoor concert venue, a cistern that needs a lot of work, a milking parlor that could someday be revived, and a perfect place to run our pork operation. The pigs are helping us to renovate the degraded and invasive-covered “pastures” behind the barn by rooting out shrubs and providing access so we can seed behind them.

This is the location for our weekly on-farm pickups each Thursday 5-6pm. So next time you visit us, ask for a tour of the old milking parlor - CJ loves to geek out on the vintage equipment and history of the place!