Scholten Dairy Baldwinsville, NY
Perseverance A devastating barn fire, a new highway built through their farm, suburban development pressure—the Scholtens have been through a lot since Adriena and Jacob Scholten left their native Holland as newlyweds in 1959. They first landed in Iowa where...
Sanctuary Dairy Farm Sunapee, NH
Ice Cream Dreams At the age of nine, tenth-generation dairy farmer Beck Johnson had a dream. Like lots of kids, he dreamt of ice cream—but in this case, he wanted to make it, not just eat it. And so Sanctuary...
Chambers Farm, LLC Heuvelton, NY
A Family Tradition As the Chambers Farm sign proudly proclaims, farming has been “a family tradition” since 1898—and the tradition continues. The baton has passed into the hands of Dan Chambers, who grew up the second youngest of six kids and eventually joined his parents, Ken and Peg, to keep...
Caverly Farms Clinton, ME
From 4-H to 400 Milkers The Caverly Farm started out close to 75 years ago as a small 4-H project for the family, a passion that has grown into a multi-generation business. In 1962, Frank Caverly formed a partnership with his brothers EC and...
A. Ooms & Sons Dairy Farm Valatie, NY
American Dream With a farming history dating back to the 15th century in his native Netherlands, Adrian Ooms immigrated to the United States in 1950 on his own quest for the American Dream. He found it in the fertile Hudson River...
FarmLove – Foster Brothers Farm | Sustainability
Bob Foster has been on the leading edge of dairy diversification since the early 1980s. He coined the term “Cow Power” when he saw the opportunity to source clean-burning, environmentally safe, abundant energy from right under his feet…literally. The Fosters were...
Four Hills Farm Bristol, VT
There are many rolling hills in the pastoral landscape around Four Hills Farm, but its name actually refers to a different kind of hill entirely. The four Hill siblings – Ron, Brian, Joanne and Kevin – purchased the family farm from their parents, Jeanette and Robert, who are technically retired, but still involved. There are even three from the next generation of Hills back on the farm after each earned a degree in a different aspect of agriculture: Elizabeth and Britney, Brian’s daughters, and Megan, Ron’s oldest.
Flood Brothers Farm Clinton, ME
The Floods have been farming the fields of central Maine for more than 200 years. Their land, which runs for miles alongside the Kennebec River, is currently home to three generations and employs 12 family members plus another 30 people. “For us, family not only includes our relations, but our employees, many of whom have been with us for decades,” says Jenni Tilton-Flood who married Dana Flood, a member of the third generation.
Five Mile Farm Lisbon, NY
Five Mile Farm has been in the Akins family since the mid-1800s. Today, the fifth, sixth and seventh generations work together on the farm with an eye to future generations as well. All new efforts on the farm, explains Mark Akins, have at least a 30-year outlook.“We ask ourselves, ‘Are we doing this for immediate satisfaction, or are we building this for the future?’” he says. “Everything we do has to be sustainable.”
Elm Farm, LLC Woodstock, CT
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.
Echo Farm Puddings Hinsdale, NH
The Hodge sisters are first-generation farmers who fell in love with the work and the animals as youngsters. The girls were barely teenagers when their parents bought Echo Farm to fulfill their own dream of moving to the country. The family’s small farm is “a 4-H project gone haywire,” jokes Beth, the oldest. It was their father, a CPA and financial planner, who “pushed for pudding,”
Coon Brothers Farm Amenia, NY
Three generations of Coons currently work on the family dairy in the bucolic Smithfield Valley about 100 miles north of New York City. Since the farm began as Smithfield Guernseys, Dirck Coon and his sons, Peter and Dave have been joined by Peter’s sons, Isaac and Amos, who work together with other family members and employees to milk about 350 cows, care for another 250 young stock and raise a variety of crops.
