Farms as Entertainment

Farmers had barely cleared and tilled the bony ridges of New England’s landscape before they began to pack up and move on to more fertile lands in the Midwest. Those that remained behind continued to scratch out their subsistence from stony fields ringed by the rocks they had painstakingly stacked into walls that traced the boundaries of their holdings.

Small dairy herds and crops such as apples, peaches and corn fed the family coffers well into the 20th century but it was increasingly evident that local farms could not compete with the huge agricultural enterprises of the West. One by one, local dairy farms were lost. At the turn of the 20th century, there were a hundred dairy farms in Washington CT. By the end of that century, there were only two.

Not all Connecticut farms were fully lost however. A number of farmers left behind the gritty, demanding almanac of animal husbandry and, taking note of the increasingly urban nature of the region’s populace, embraced agri-tourism.

Dairy herds were sold off, the land was devoted to crops or hay, and visitors were invited onto farms to connect with the beauty of the environment. There they could pick their own baskets of fruit, wander through a pumpkin patch or choose a Christmas tree to harvest. They could pet the remaining animals, have a snack or an ice cream and enjoy a hayride along the hillsides. Manure “lagoons” gave way to farm ponds surrounded by picnic tables.

One of the most successful of these transformations can be found in Bethlehem where the fourth generation of the March family supervises an agricultural Disneyland that attracts visitors from near and far to take part in family friendly activities.

March Farm started out like so many others when the family arrived in the United States from Lithuania in 1915 and dedicated itself to dairy production and staple crops grown on the side, according to Emily March, one of the current owners.. “We think grandpa may have been born on the ship coming over,” she said.

They arrived at a time when many Eastern Europeans were being drawn to these shores and the farms abandoned by New England farmers who had moved west. Emily’s family settled in Bethlehem and began to work the land, selling milk and produce. But three generations later it was time for change.

“When Dad began to be incorporated more on the farm, he decided to get rid of the cows,” Emily said. “Around 1986 he decided there was no money in it any longer and he started looking into greenhouses. My grandfather said he was crazy but Dad decided if we had greenhouses, we could start growing our plants earlier. We still do that—our lettuce and radishes are coming in now—but we also started pushing the outside crops, apples, corn and peaches.”

It was not until her brother Ben began to work on the farm in the early 2000s that agri-tourism was really explored, however. “Ben was a doer,” his sister said. “He had ideas, and he implemented them. He was the one who decided on the agri-tourism route but this time, my Dad was open to the idea.”

Ben quickly established a farm store with an accompanying farm playground and animal petting yard nearby. A hilltop area was flattened and turned into a venue site for weddings and parties. A parking area was created and a snack shack was built. A pond site was created with grills, power, picnic tables, paddleboats and a volleyball court.

Then tragedy struck. “Ben passed away 2019,” Emily said. “It was very devastating, but my other brother, Tommy, and I left our jobs and put ourselves solely on the farm.”

When Emily came onboard, she started live music concerts on summer nights, exploration hours for kids and hilltop yoga. The exploration hours are about to get underway again with a local teacher leading the groups through many areas at March Farms on March 28th, April 11th and May 2nd at 9:30AM ($10 donation for first child, $5 each additional one. Register by texting 860-309-1585.)

Visitors can even take cooking classes—a sourdough class will be held in-person at the March Farm Store on March 29th at noon and April 25th at 1PM. The cost is $40 per person and those interested can sign-up at www.marchfarm.com.

“When you have a farm it’s great you can grow crops, but what’s cooler when you have a vast amount of land is sharing what we have,” said Emily. “People having a connection to a farmer is great but having a connection to their land is even better.”

That connection is helping to maintain land in agriculture. “Everything is so expensive, farmers just can’t afford it,” she said. “This is not a big-paying job. You’d think the hands that feed the world would do a little better but they don’t.”

Agri-tourism eases the burden a bit. “I think every year we are a little bit busier,” she said. “As a whole, people are starting to shop more locally and appreciate the quality of locally grown food. We had an era of convenience where everyone bought processed food but real food doesn’t come in a box.

“It pays to support local farms,” she continued. “I do social media and it seems to be growing and growing with followers. Agri-tourism still keeps the integrity of farming. I believe farms are energy-holding spaces. When you go through a farm, you look around and you can see the history and feel that energy.”

The March Farm at 160 Munger Lane, is currently open Thursday-Monday from 10AM to 5PM, closed Tuesday and Wednesday. They plan to re-open seven days a week in May.