Pigs
2011 is the first year we raised pigs on the farm. We started with a dozen and they grew out well with lots of care from Harry everyday. We’re in the process of designing and building a larger area for them to roam in the woods next season and then we’ll add a few more pigs to our farm.
The Tamworth originated in central England in the counties of Stafford, Warwick, Leicester, and Northhamton. Prior to 1815, dark red and grisly pigs were found largely in these Midland counties. In this region, there were dense forests of oak and beech trees where the pigs were kept to forage in the autumn and winter. The breed takes its name from the village of Tamworth in Staffordshire.
Bees
We’re working with a local beekeeper to learn the art of beekeeping. Our pastures are full of clover and we’re excited about being able to offer honey made from bees working on our farm. So far we’ve learned the basic skills of putting the hive boxes together and starting a colony with the queen and worker bees and now we’re working to prepare the hive for survival through the winter. Our beekeeper has several hives here on the farm which he tends and we have honey from his hives in our farm store.
Horses
We have two horses that belong to the farm, Percy, owned by Renee, is an appaloosa gelding who turned 20 on November 15, 2011, and a quarter horse owned by Steve named Big Red, who was foaled on April 13, 1998. They’re great trail horses and we enjoy grooming them and having them here on the farm.
There are two other quarter horses who are boarding here, Slick and JP. Our horses graze on pasture during the day and they’re in large, open paddocks with cover in a barn at night. They’re fed the best hay and they receive lots of attention from all of us. If you are interested in boarding a horse on our farm, please contact us.
plus Louie and Oreo!
What’s a farm without a farm dog and barn cat? Louie’s the farm dog and the official greeter at the Farm Store. His favorite job is taking everyone out on a farm tour. He’s a boxer, named after Louis Bromfield, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and original grass farmer, who had several beloved boxers on his farm near Mansfield, Ohio. It’s all in his book, Malabar Farm. “At a time when farming, as a vocation and an art, was going out of favor, Louis Bromfield was a writer who genuinely and unabashedly loved it. He was not one of those bad pastoral writers whose love for farming is distant, sentimental, and condescending. Bromfield clearly had loved it familiarly and in detail. He loved the work and the people who did it well.” - Wendell Berry
Oreo is our barn cat and he’ll meet you at the Farm Store since he lives in the barn. Can you guess that he’s black and white? He was here living in the barn back in December 2002 when we arrived and he’s stayed with us taking care of the mice and hanging out with the donkey. He’s especially fond of horses since he was raised with them and it’s fun to watch him interact with Percy and Big Red while you’re grooming them.