Get together, work together

When March Farm in Bethlehem, CT, was started in the early 1900s, it was a typical small dairy. Today, Emily March, her brother Tommy and their cousin Shane Collett are fourth generation farmers.

The 1940s version of the farm was home to a larger dairy herd and poultry. Apple orchards and a variety of other crops were added over the next 30 years. After the cows were sold in 1988, the first greenhouse went up.

Shane has been on the farm since childhood, working alongside his father and uncle. When Tommy and Emily’s brother Ben passed away in 2019, Tommy started working with Shane and Emily on the farm.

“Shane took over when my brother passed away, then I started working here,” Tommy said. “Emily came shortly after that.” Although Emily had always lived on the farm, she didn’t intend to work there. The death of her brother changed her outlook, and she had a strong desire to shift to the farm.

Before Tommy returned, he had spent more than 20 years working in plumbing and HVAC. Those skills have proven useful on the farm when it’s time to fine-tune greenhouse heating and cooling. Today, Tommy focuses on greenhouse production while Shane manages outdoor crops.

Tommy explained the greenhouse schedule. “We begin in in January through the first week of February after starting seeds under lights,” he said. “There are 12 hoop houses – nine are for tomatoes. Another house, the largest, is all peppers, and another house is for heirloom tomatoes. In another house we grow cucumbers on trellises, and the smallest house is for starting plants.”

March Farm grows about five varieties of standard tomatoes, along with numerous cherry and heirloom tomatoes. Greenhouse crops are supplemented with fertigation applied via drip.

“It’s easier to grow tomatoes under cover where we can control the environment,” Tommy said. “If it’s too hot, we roll the sides up, but the top is still a dome over them. From January through late May, it’s easier to control humidity at night through air exchange. When the humidity is lower, we can keep a lot of diseases out.”

Tommy said everyone on the farm is vigilant about preserving beneficial insects, so they limit sprays to avoid damaging beneficials. “If you don’t have the bad bugs, there won’t be anything for the beneficial insects to eat,” he said. “It’s a balance.”

In the 1950s, a section of the packing house was set aside for a small farm store, which was the beginning of March Farm selling directly to the public. Shane recalls the on-farm bakery being added in 1987.

Shane said, “The bakery started with just one oven and a hand-cranked donut machine, then we added a Donut Robot®.”

While some farms are dealing with weather-related issues this growing season, March Farm is fortunate to have escaped frost damage.

“A foliar application of seaweed extract on apple trees ahead of cold weather helped protect blossoms,” Shane said. “Seaweed extract provides crops with several additional degrees of frost tolerance.”

March Farm offers a variety of U-pick crop, starting with blueberries and finishing with apples and pumpkins.

Shane works with UConn Cooperative Extension and several companies to monitor traps and conduct tissue and sap sampling.

“Sap shows us in real-time what’s going on,” Shane said. “Tissue sampling is a look at the past. Micronutrients like calcium, zinc, boron, manganese and molybdenum in the tank help.”

Shane recently started trying the biological insecticide DiPel® on sweet corn. “I think I have it figured out,” he said. “I’ll go out more often and a little earlier this year. There were some fields where we tissue tested and were able to decrease fertilizer rates. We had a yield increase in some fields, and in other fields it didn’t work as well.”

A strategy that helps add nitrogen is cover crops. “We’ve been using a lot of cover crops since 2016,” Shane said. “Some of the fields get a nine-way blend, which helps, especially with how dry it’s been. Shortly before planting I plow the cover crop under. One year there was hairy vetch in the field, which was a problem to plow under, but a neighbor disked it in. We only applied 12 pounds of nitrogen per acre and it was probably the best pumpkin crop we’ve ever raised on this farm.”

About 25 varieties are planted for pumpkin picking and the farm store. In the past, Shane mixed varieties in the hopper but plans to separate varieties this year. To manage weeds, he uses a pre-emergent herbicide and cultivates if necessary. For U-pick, the crew cuts pumpkins in the field one section at a time.

In autumn, March Farm features a pumpkin patch in front of the store with motion-activated animatronics outside to create a haunted area for Halloween. Customers can select pre-cut pumpkins near the farm store.

Fall activities begin on weekends the second week of September and continue until the end of October.

The biggest autumn U-pick crop is apples, which are on traditional standard trees. Shane said customers relate to this growing method because the apple trees look like what they expect.

Emily said their themed corn maze appeals to guests because it’s reasonably sized. When maze-goers come to an intersection in the maze, there’s a question to answer, and the correct answer will help them continue on the right path.

While the operation was retail-focused in the past, more family members in the operation means March Farm remains diversified. In addition to the farm store, a significant portion of produce is sold wholesale and at farmers markets.

“We try to cover not just what we grow, but the basics of people’s kitchens,” Emily said. “We collaborate with other farms to bring other items to the farm store.”

March Farm incorporates agritourism wherever possible, including kid-friendly activities. “It’s great to bring people to the farm, and it’s really cool when March Farm becomes the community farm and people have memories of what they did here,” Emily said. “We have a summer concert series with food trucks and a mobile pub, and this has picked up over the years. We also do workshops and special events.”

Rather than having a typical CSA, local patrons can sign up for a March Membership. This gift card CSA has a higher value than what it costs. Members also receive coupons for farm items including blueberries, peaches, apples, cider and donuts.

In the past, March Farm was present at four farm markets; this year they’re selling at six. Emily has found that many customers who visit them at a farmers market eventually visit the farm.

“Any way we can reach people,” Emily said. “That’s what I love about collaboration. Why do it alone when you can build your web by connecting with more people?  We get more support and followers.”

Visit March Farm online.

by Sally Colby