Granby Drummer (https://granbydrummer.com/author/shirley-murtha/)
Born and raised in Granby, Rocky Piccirillo has had a lifelong connection to Holcomb Farm. Hiking with family up to the ridge and attending nature programs in the education center when he was a young lad instilled an affection for the place that remains to this day.
Having been born in Farmersville, Ohio near Dayton, and having two sets of grandparents who were farmers, Eric Lukingbeal is no stranger to agriculture. Although his first job was not what you’d call romantic (picking big green cutworms off of tobacco leaves), he developed what would become a life-long appreciation for farming.
Jack Lareau first encountered Holcomb Farm in the 1970s when he cross-country skied from Case Street through Enders and McLean’s to the Farm. That was back in the days before he knew much about the Farm and its educational programs and farming operation.
On Jan. 16, Granby residents John Weeks and his wife, Christine Chinni, were birding along the Hockanum River behind the East Hartford Middle School when they spotted this magnificent bald eagle perched in a tree.
When Mark Fiorentino heard about the Fresh Access program at Holcomb Farm, he knew that he wanted to get involved. In fact, the Farm was one of the selling points offered by their realtor when he and his wife were looking to move here in 2009 from Las Vegas.
Last month we profiled Jenny Emery, the new executive director of Holcomb Farm. In this issue, and each upcoming one, we will feature other members of the Friends of Holcomb Farm and the staff.
Not one to sit around doing nothing, Granby resident and Hartford school teacher Sean Wynne was not content with building just a fire pit in his back yard—he decided to design and execute a compass rose around it.
In the absence of a true executive director, the Friends of Holcomb Farm board president Bob Bystrowski saw the need for a person to bridge the goals of the board with community and financial resources.
How did two young people with no history of farming come to set up a pretty mind-boggling farm on Wells Road? Well, it wasn’t a direct path.
When the pandemic hit, Michelle Niedermeyer knew she couldn’t host the annual seasonal farmers’ markets at Lost Acres Vineyard, so she and the Granby Agricultural Commission came up with a plan that makes it possible for residents of Granby, East Granby, East Hartland and Simsbury to obtain vegetables, cheese, wine and specialty meats without leaving their homes: the Virtual Farmers’ Market.