Dairy farming is not seasonal. As farmers, we are responsible for the land we farm, our equipment and barn maintenance, and most importantly, our herd of 550 LIVES. Our dairy cows, young stock, and beef steers are our top priority, our co-workers, our livelihood, and our family. There isn’t a day that they go un-cared … Read more
Over many generations, dairy cows have been specifically bred to produce a high volume of nutritious, high quality, milk! Quality feed, green grass, and fresh air go in – milk comes out, and a lot of it! And we think that is pretty incredible! Cows can only produce milk after they’ve given birth to a calf. … Read more
Believe it or not, our girls are loving this weather more than the summer time heat! Thanks to their thick skin, hair and natural insulation, cows actually prefer temperatures between 40 and 65 degrees. So long as the cows are well fed, healthy, and have dry bedding, they don’t mind the cold. That said, it’s … Read more
Yesterday was our first snow of the season! Big flakes filled the window and blanketed the fields outside. Barstow’s Dairy Store and Bakery closed at 1pm early for the weather. But life on the farm was business as usual. There’s no coming home early. The farmers make sure all of the dry cows on pasture … Read more
Country Folks By Laura Rodley At Barstow’s Longview Farm in Hadley, MA they serve their own beef as hamburgers on their special Burger Night at Barstow’s Dairy Store and Bakery from May through September. The meat contains no antibiotics, steroids or hormones. The farm store is the only place anyone can buy the beef that … Read more
Written by Domenic D. Mercurio, Jr. Photography by Scott Erb, Donna Dufault Foodies of New England Spring 2017 Got milk? Well if you’re planning on visiting Barstow’s Longview Farm in Hadley, Massachusetts in the near future, you’ll surely get your share – and then some. The Barstow family set up shop in Hadley over 200 … Read more
By Linda Enerson, CommonWealth January 10, 2017 Sixth-generation family farmers Dave and Steve Barstow have stretched the limits of what dairy farmers can do to stay afloat. They opened a store and bakery on their dairy farm at the foot of Mt. Holyoke in Hadley. They generate electricity from composted cow manure and food scraps. … Read more
By Dave Eisenstadter, Daily Hampshire Gazette December 15, 2014 After receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars to preserve their seventh generation family farm, the Barstows are using the money to populate it with robots. While negotiating the sale of the Agricultural Preservation Restriction rights on 123 acres of their dairy farm, the Barstows have installed … Read more
