First Weblog

Well, it had to be done. I cannot get the Website done in a timely fashion. How else does one try to communicate in this day in age? Wow! My thoughts and digressions can actually get published and read by people at their own will!

Heamour Farm (pronounced A-moor) was my farm name. David's farm was Hilltown Dairy. We sold that place and bought the farm here in New York November 2002. Farming in New York isn't farming in Massachusetts. My boss disagees with me when I say this, but it is 15-20 years behind New England. Why I say that will come out over time.


Boss? Well, Dave and I own this place. We milk about 25-30 dairy cows. There are generally some sheep, goats, chickens, maybe a turkey or so. It is a business and it does make up a significant part of our farm income. I also do this "day job". Common thing with farm wives. Keeps food on the table and health insurance around. We like the health insurance. Couldn't afford it with 30 year low milk prices, so day job I had to get.

I work for the County Soil & Water Conservation District as the "Conservation Grazing Specialist." That means a lot of things. I'll go into that on another day. I'm too lazy to go on about that right now.

Cheese. That is my passion right now. We make fresh cheeses to sell right now. Was a whimp about the aged ones. Didn't have proper aging I use to tell people. Dave Brown at Cornell told me the other day that he could make my cheeses with his eyes closed. I think it was meant to put me in my place, but I can too. That is why I make them. Cash flow. That and I like Quark. Central New York has a serious deficit of good food and I decided to make some to sell to the people who appreciate good food.

I'm working on a Gouda and a couple of other cheeses. I have also learned how to make some of the bloomy rind ones and am intregued by some blues. The later will be made when I have my bread and butter aged cheese perfected. I love cheese and have to reined in when it comes to experimenting...

Conservation Breeding is another passion. We have Arapawa Island goats, Kerry and Ayrshire cattle. We've also had individuals of Milking Devon, Milking Shorthorn, San Clemente Island (goat) and the rare turkeys. I loved the turkey's but when Claire was born (April 2002), something had to give and the turkeys were them. Give us time and Claire some age and we will probably have them again too.

This is a start. I'm thrilled.