It is quite an operation, The Rolling Hills Farm. It is as close to being self sufficient as any a farm can be, in this day and age. Yesterday we took Ian and Rita to see the farm operated by Helen and Alan, along with their son Brian and his wife Tammy. Between the four adults and five children, they run an effective operation. Ian is a retired mining engineer, so he looks at a system and asks questions with a different perspective, which was interesting to observe.
We arrived at 5:00 and left at 7:15. Lizzie, who is 12, was feeding a new calf with mothers milk, and would soon feed all the calves. Andrew, the youngest at 10, was helping his father Brian load the chopped corn into the silo. Alan had been repairing the machine for loading the silo. In addition to being a farmer, he is also a skilled mechanic. Tammy was milking the cows herself. Kelly normal helped with the milking but Kelly at 18 is in her first year at Penn. State University so they are missing her help. Jacob, 16, plays football so was at practice, soon to be followed by a team dinner at the coach's home. He would need to be picked up later. Erin, 14, was on the Volleyball team so would be brought home on a school bus. Helen, the farmer's wife was decorating a fancy cake. She has a cake decorating the business, which is a huge asset to the farm's income and keeps her very busy.
Those good folks are always busy. Tammy takes vegetables from her big garden four times a week to the Farmer's Markets in Cumberland and Hagerstown. She bakes the pies for Mike's Place Cafe in Clearville. But yesterday, after Alan was finished his work, he sat with the four of us in the butchering shop where we had a drink together and explained the how and why of farming in 2012. Ian was most impressed with the level on independence. It was interesting to see the operation through another set of eyes.
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