A PORTION OF OUR CHOOSE & CUT FIELD
The photograph above represents a portion of our centuries old 170-acre farm, which is located on Bellus and Baptist Corner roads in Ashfield, Massachusetts.CHRISTMAS TREES
Although previous generations of this family raised sheep and milked cows, we -- the 3rd and 4th generations -- farm this rolling and hilly terrain by growing 32,000 Christmas trees on 40 acres.
Varieties grown include Balsam Fir, Concolor Fir, and Fraser Fir. In the spring, we plant 4-year-old trees into the main fields,
fertilize all trees, and monitor for insect damage, fungal diseases, and root rot in all fields. The majority of the summer is spent
trimming and shaping the trees, with time out to mow between the rows to control vegetation and weeds. Fall finds us grading
trees according to size and quality, and preparing for the harvest. We harvest anywhere from 900 to 3000 Christmas trees per year, selling to both wholesale and retail markets. MAPLE SYRUP
To round out our farm life, in February we set about 1200 sugar maple taps, gather the sap, boil it down, and produce a delicate flavored maple syrup to be sold. HAY
I
n mid-June and mid-August we cut, rake, and bale hay from 24 acres. Our hay is fine-textured and an excellent feed for cows,
horses, goats, or sheep. Because we don't have room to store all the hay we make, we encourage folks to pick up their hay directly from the field at a discount. |
