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By ALEXANDER OLCHOWSKI
Article Launched: 05/15/2008 09:07:54 AM EDT
LEE - Jen and Phil Leahey's deep commitment to providing food for the local community is unwavering. When supporters tell them how much more money they could take in with the grass-fed meats grown on their Leahey Farm in cities like Boston and New York, they ignore the information.
"If every Berkshire County family made one meal a week with local ingredients it would be more than 3 million meals a year," Jen said. "That's enough food to keep so many more farmers than we have right now very busy."
In the long term, the Leaheys hope to do their own USDA-certified slaughtering right on site. As part of his research, Phil recently took a part-time job in a supermarket meat department in order to learn about the various cuts. (Extra income is also still needed to keep the farm afloat.)
But Jen hopes that movements like the one that rewards farms for their functioning as carbon sinks, especially one with 250 acres of forest, will help them become profitable. Or maybe the government will think about subsidizing local, sustainable farms like the Leaheys' instead of corporate farms in Iowa growing corn for fuel.
In the meantime, the couple is keeping the farm going as a family affair: By Jen's calculations, her 6-month-old daughter Brenna will be the eighth generation to be raised on Leahey Farm.
The 300-acre parcel on a hilltop in Lee has been in her husband Phil's family since 1889. Although the couple lives in a house at the bottom of the hill, the farm buildings are surrounded by family members. Phil's parents live next door. His father, Jim, was the first Leahey to leave the farm, becoming a veterinarian who still practices on a part-time basis. Uncle Joe is a car mechanic who maintains all the tractor equipment. Cousin Jim runs an excavating business from the site. Uncle Morris operates a construction company from the premises, and Aunt Betty lives in the only other house, besides the elder Leahey's ranch, visible from the main barn.
Phil and Jen met in Sturbridge, where Jen was the coordinator of the farm program and Phil began working with her through his role as manager of New England Heritage Breeds Conservation. Eventually, they wound up in the Berkshires working together at Hancock Shaker Village, but when the Heritage Breeds Conservation left abruptly more than three years ago, the couple decided to take a shot at reviving the Leahey family farm.
From the start, they focused their energy on making the farm a sustainable one, both economically and environmentally. The niche they're going for is grass-fed meats, specifically beef and pork.
Their substantial herd of Boer goats (originally from South Africa) is used only for clearing brush from overgrown fence lines and future pastures. Jen said some friends have inquired about hiring out the goats to clean up a piece of property.
One quickly realizes that everything at Leahey Farm revolves around the herd of about 40 cows known as Devons. These medium-sized, dark brown cows are a heritage breed originally brought over by the pilgrims in the early 1600s. According to Jen, there are only 500 Devons left, all living in New England. The Leaheys praise their temperament and hardiness. These gentle animals don't mind spending the winter outside subsisting largely on hay. Although the cuts of meat they yield are smaller than the more conventional Angus, something Jen finds herself explaining at the farmers markets, the couple finds a deep sense of satisfaction through preserving this ancient breed by providing an environment that allows these animals to thrive, just as they were meant to, in direct relation to human culture.
Of the farm's 300 acres, about 50 are pasture. Five of these acres are planted with corn for winter feeding, a plot that is rotated every season to allow the soil to rehabilitate. After spending the winter confined to one pasture, the cows in warmer months are rotated every day using portable fencing. When they move on the next day, the chickens arrive in their portable henhouse to peck apart the clumps of manure in search of bugs, facilitating the composting process. Two horses, one a retired thoroughbred racehorse, hang out with the herd of cattle. In addition, there is a pair of draft horses, a brother and sister, waiting to be trained for future work.
The pigs are kept in their own designated pen because they tend to dig up the ground wherever they find themselves. But the Leaheys have discovered a great use for this characteristic. Once the goats have cleared out a certain section of land, the pigs are sent in behind them to essentially rototill the ground with their incessant pawing, digging up the roots of invasive weeds in the process.
On a typical late April day, there is a palpable harmony in the air around Leahey Farm. The pasture grass, so carefully managed throughout the year, is a brilliant hue of bright green. Three dogs frolic in the freshly turned soil of this year's corn plot. The cows and horses munch on hay and emerging grasses, mingling about as they digest. In the great barn, the new piglets follow each other into corners of the large pen, while a female goat waits to give birth next door. Jen has stories of bears from October Mountain State Forest ambling right through the herd of cattle, of coyotes sitting above the fields and watching the scene below.
The Leaheys encourage people to take a ride up Reservoir Road to check out the farm for themselves, recommending a phone call to make sure someone is around. If you do go, it would be a good idea to pick up a sample product. The thin cutlets of pork from a Berkshire hog, breaded and lightly sauteed, were the best this reporter has ever had.
If you can't make it to the farm itself, look for the Leaheys at the farmers markets this season. "We've made a commitment to ourselves to see this farm work," Jen said. "And in doing so, we've made a commitment to the local community."
Alexander Olchowski is a novelist and screenwriter currently gaining certification to teach high school English through MCLA. Originally from the Berkshires, he now lives on a farm in Lebanon Springs, N.Y.
Local commitment, longevity equal success at Leahey Farm
