Sidehill Farm News
The Crackpot Idea Comes to Fruition!
Last evening, Paul and I sat at the east end of the red barn, watching the light fade on the hills beyond the Connecticut River. This has always been one of our favorite spots - early in the morning with a cup of coffee, watching the sun come up; and into the shadows of evening, witnessing the slow fade from blue to pink to purple at dusk. Monadnock stands sentinel to the northeast, catching every tiny color shift as the sun fades west. The white birch trunks along East Road are glowing gold, and the tiny leaflets sparkle brilliant green. Barn swallows swoop by our heads - completely unfazed by our presence. A field swallow, ever invisible, but always singing temptingly close, bounces its ping pong ball call through the grass. Bobolinks have returned, and are chattering in clumps of last year’s tall grass. Our resident groundhog, with whom we made a deal 2 years ago when she was a baby, that if she stayed out of the garden, we wouldn’t shoot her, sits up and watches from her secret escape hole. (She has held up her end of the deal, and so have we.)
Ivy Donovan used to sit in this place too - it was he who introduced us to the pleasures of the spot. The big chunk of white quartz was his chair, and there were many mornings we would find him there, cup of coffee cradled in one arthritic hand, his familiar pipe and Captain Black tobacco cradled in the other. There are times I know that I can feel him here, sitting with us, wondering at the view. We learned many things from Ivy, and the practice of wonder was one of the best.
But this may have been the last time we have the pleasure of this spot. After a long, long, year of paperwork, negotiating, running numbers, and signing and re-signing documents; the moment finally arrived. At 11:30 this morning, we signed the papers to transfer the cows, the dairy, the pastures, and the farm shop to Gus and Kyra Tafel. This whole process has been in the works for more than 2 years now, and the last 12 months have been a rollercoaster of frustration and hope, sadness and joy. I am wiping away tears as I write this, but at the same time, I am relieved and to be honest, completely thrilled that what at many times seemed to be a crackpot idea of forming a mutually beneficial partnership with younger farmers, has finally come to fruition.
Gus and Kyra will bring new energy and ideas to the farm shop. They will be stocking their own certified organic lamb, as well as beef and pork, and hope to be bringing in some cheeses from farms they knew back in New York. There are other exciting plans in the works as well. As with any transition of this magnitude and level of detail, we are all trying our best to make the changeover seamless. And despite all of our best efforts, there will be hiccups. Gus and Kyra are bright, and hard-working, and good farmers who care for their animals; and they will get their systems worked out over time. But please be patient if everything is not perfect on the first try!
So thank you all for your many, many years of support. We would not be in a position to pass on a vibrant and thriving farm and farm shop to new folks if it were not for you all believing in our crazy ideas, and being willing to stand behind us. Your words of encouragement, your friendship, and your loyalty have kept us going through many rough spots, and we can’t thank you enough. And we hope you will be willing to believe in Gus and Kyra the same way.
And don't worry! - we will still be around here making yogurt. We are buying milk directly from Gus and Kyra, and will continue to make Sidehill Farm grass-fed, organic yogurt right here in the creamery at the farm. You will find Sidehill Farm Yogurt in all the usual places, including the farm shop here at the farm. We aren’t vanishing. But we will miss the every day interaction with people coming to the farm shop, and we just want to to say, thank you. Thank you for everything.
With gratitude,
Amy and Paul
