Elm Farm, LLC Woodstock, CT

Deep Roots

For well over a century, Peckhams have farmed in Woodstock. Matt Peckham’s great-great-great-grandfather, Amos Peckham, and his son, Samuel Howard Peckham, settled in the town and started their dairy delivering milk door-to-door to their neighbors. While they honor the past, Matt and his wife, Chrissy, also have a strong eye on the future. “I’m proud to carry on the Peckham name and tradition as a sixth-generation dairy farmer, but I’m even more proud to be raising the seventh.” says Matt. “I have four very important reasons to continue growing and modernizing our farm.”

Sharing Connections and Good Food

Every year, Elm Farm hosts the Old Iron Tractor Club, an event that “allows antique tractor owners to have a connection to the land that most of them would not have,” explains Matt. “These are tractors that their fathers and grandfathers grew up using.” The celebration draws the community, as does the family’s new Farm to Table market. There, they offer their own glass-bottled milk, eggs from the flock tended by the two youngest boys, the farm’s own beef and pork, plus Cabot cheeses. The bustling store stocks local baked goods, vegetables, honey, maple, apple cider and apples from nearby farms. The Peckhams also scoop ice cream made by another Connecticut farm.

Tasting Happiness

Elm Farm’s whole plain and chocolate milk are processed and bottled at a local plant. “We don’t skim, so all of our milks have a very rich taste that people love,” says Matt. The whole family helps out with the store, including Chrissy’s father, providing meaningful connections for customers and farmers. “People are happy to see the family involved,” Chrissy says. And it’s really a boost for the Peckhams, she notes, to see people relishing the results of their hard work: “You don’t often get to see the happiness your product brings.