ROLLINSFORD—
Rollinsford’s Brookford Farm was recently profiled in Forest Notes magazine, published this fall by the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. Written by Dover resident Joyce El Kouarti, the feature focuses on the role that conservation land plays in the changing farming industry.
Agricultural activities in New Hampshire and the United States have declined since the 1950s as farmland has steadily been converted to other land uses. Despite this, an increase in farms—particularly small farms—has occurred in recent years. According to a 2005 study conducted by the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food, the numbers of farms in the state with less than 180 acres grew from about 1,160 in 1997 to nearly 1,860 in 2007. This phenomenon suggests that agricultural activities in New Hampshire are diversifying, moving away from traditional large-scale operations to smaller custom farms.
The 400 acres that make up Brookford Farm are owned by Rollinsford native Robin Aikman, who donated a conservation easement on the land 30 years ago. Aikman continued to run a dairy farm there until the mid-2000s, then advertised for a farm manager.
Luke and Catarina Mahoney, a young couple with extensive organic farming experience, responded to Aikman’s advertisement. Rather than adopt the large-scale farm model of growing or raising vast quantities of a single item, the couple chose to emulate the farm management practices that they experienced first-hand in Europe. The Mahoneys produce and sell milk, cheeses, eggs, meat, and a variety of different vegetables.
The cows’ milk is stored and sold as raw, or unpasteurized, milk or processed into various cheeses and quark—a type of spreadable cheese made from skim milk. The farm is also home to 1,000 chickens, mostly hens, all New Hampshire Reds—a heritage breed noted for its foraging skills and large brown eggs. Several hogs also live on the farm, contributing their part to the cycle by consuming leftover produce and whey, a byproduct of cheese making.
The demand for the Mahoney’s organic food products has been steadily increasing, especially for the raw milk, eggs, and quark. The couple agrees that a key component to their success has been the farm’s geographical proximity to dense population centers.
“It is a totally different story for farmers up in ‘the county,’ who have to ship everything away to conglomerates,” said Luke.
Brookford Farm, like many other successful small farms, is not dependent upon a highly specialized, government-subsidized agricultural system. The “new” farm offers a greater diversity of products, takes advantage of market niches, and has been particularly successful in urban/rural fringe areas that have direct access to customers.
Brookford Farm’s location near the New Hampshire cities of Dover and Somersworth as well as the downtowns of Rollinsford, New Hampshire and South Berwick, Maine allows Luke and Catarina to sell their products directly to the residents of these communities, who don’t mind driving a short distance to purchase farm-fresh foods. Their products can also be found at the Salmon Falls Mill in downtown Rollinsford and at the farmers’ markets in Portsmouth, Exeter, and Dover.
But working farms like Brookford on the “urban fringe” will remain only as long as land is available in these locations. Even in a depressed economy, the land nearest such population centers is among the most vulnerable to development pressure. Fortunately, there’s help: protecting the farms and forests in these areas with conservation easements ensures that these land-based activities will have the opportunity to endure and flourish.
The complete article “Will Work for Food” can be found in Forest Notes magazine, available on newsstands statewide and on the Forest Society’s web site at http://www.forestsociety.org/news/forest-notes.asp.
Founded in 1901, the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests is the state’s oldest and largest non-profit land conservation organization. Supported by 10,000 families and businesses, the Forest Society’s mission is to perpetuate the state’s forests by promoting land conservation and sustainable forestry. For more information, visit www.forestsociety.org.
Photo caption: Brookford Farm manager Luke Mahoney carries a newborn calf. (Photo by Joyce El Kouarti)
Rollinsford’s Brookford Farm was recently profiled in Forest Notes magazine, published this fall by the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. Written by Dover resident Joyce El Kouarti, the feature focuses on the role that conservation land plays in the changing farming industry.
Agricultural activities in New Hampshire and the United States have declined since the 1950s as farmland has steadily been converted to other land uses. Despite this, an increase in farms—particularly small farms—has occurred in recent years. According to a 2005 study conducted by the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food, the numbers of farms in the state with less than 180 acres grew from about 1,160 in 1997 to nearly 1,860 in 2007. This phenomenon suggests that agricultural activities in New Hampshire are diversifying, moving away from traditional large-scale operations to smaller custom farms.
The 400 acres that make up Brookford Farm are owned by Rollinsford native Robin Aikman, who donated a conservation easement on the land 30 years ago. Aikman continued to run a dairy farm there until the mid-2000s, then advertised for a farm manager.
Luke and Catarina Mahoney, a young couple with extensive organic farming experience, responded to Aikman’s advertisement. Rather than adopt the large-scale farm model of growing or raising vast quantities of a single item, the couple chose to emulate the farm management practices that they experienced first-hand in Europe. The Mahoneys produce and sell milk, cheeses, eggs, meat, and a variety of different vegetables.
The cows’ milk is stored and sold as raw, or unpasteurized, milk or processed into various cheeses and quark—a type of spreadable cheese made from skim milk. The farm is also home to 1,000 chickens, mostly hens, all New Hampshire Reds—a heritage breed noted for its foraging skills and large brown eggs. Several hogs also live on the farm, contributing their part to the cycle by consuming leftover produce and whey, a byproduct of cheese making.
The demand for the Mahoney’s organic food products has been steadily increasing, especially for the raw milk, eggs, and quark. The couple agrees that a key component to their success has been the farm’s geographical proximity to dense population centers.
“It is a totally different story for farmers up in ‘the county,’ who have to ship everything away to conglomerates,” said Luke.
Brookford Farm, like many other successful small farms, is not dependent upon a highly specialized, government-subsidized agricultural system. The “new” farm offers a greater diversity of products, takes advantage of market niches, and has been particularly successful in urban/rural fringe areas that have direct access to customers.
Brookford Farm’s location near the New Hampshire cities of Dover and Somersworth as well as the downtowns of Rollinsford, New Hampshire and South Berwick, Maine allows Luke and Catarina to sell their products directly to the residents of these communities, who don’t mind driving a short distance to purchase farm-fresh foods. Their products can also be found at the Salmon Falls Mill in downtown Rollinsford and at the farmers’ markets in Portsmouth, Exeter, and Dover.
But working farms like Brookford on the “urban fringe” will remain only as long as land is available in these locations. Even in a depressed economy, the land nearest such population centers is among the most vulnerable to development pressure. Fortunately, there’s help: protecting the farms and forests in these areas with conservation easements ensures that these land-based activities will have the opportunity to endure and flourish.
The complete article “Will Work for Food” can be found in Forest Notes magazine, available on newsstands statewide and on the Forest Society’s web site at http://www.forestsociety.org/news/forest-notes.asp.
Founded in 1901, the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests is the state’s oldest and largest non-profit land conservation organization. Supported by 10,000 families and businesses, the Forest Society’s mission is to perpetuate the state’s forests by promoting land conservation and sustainable forestry. For more information, visit www.forestsociety.org.
Photo caption: Brookford Farm manager Luke Mahoney carries a newborn calf. (Photo by Joyce El Kouarti)
