Granby Drummer (https://granbydrummer.com/category/grow/)
With the support of a State of Connecticut Small Farm Viability Grant, funds raised by the Friends of Holcomb Farm, and—most critically—hundreds of hours of volunteer time, renovation of the CSA Barn is well underway and on schedule for completion in advance of the annual opening of the Holcomb Farm CSA and Farm Store.
For most of the year on the farm, our family is able to do all of the work by ourselves. We feed animals, start and clean-up gardens, fix fences and build sheds for 12 months a year.
The fences for the riding rings at Holcomb Farm and Salmon Brook Park were replaced this winter, funded by a grant and accomplished through the efforts of many in the community. In the spring of 2017, the Granby Horse Council was notified by the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving that it was eligible to apply for funding from the Pomeroy-Brace Fund for a community project in Granby.
Lost Acres Vineyard is holding three community days over the coming year to thank its supporters. Members of the community can support local organizations with the purchase of Lost Acres Vineyard wine.
Pigs are incredibly prolific. Mamma Pigs come into heat at all times of the year (unlike goat or sheep that are bred seasonally) and, since she gives birth in under four months (three months, three weeks and three days), she can be bred twice a year.
This spring, take a drive down Simsbury Road in West Granby, enjoy the beautiful barns and farm fields and meadows of Holcomb Farm as they come to life, and give thanks to the Granby volunteers who have helped make it so. Among the many volunteers, there is one, lovingly known as the Posse, worth considering.
Planting has begun, and sales of CSA summer shares are well underway. Thanks to careful nurturing of the soil (as well as new equipment), Farmer Joe reports increasing productivity is making even more CSA shares available, so it’s not too late to sign up.
Holcomb Farm’s trails are always open and welcoming, and spring is a special time. You can visit on your own, any time; the eastern fields are easily accessible from the junction of Simsbury Road and Day Street South, and the views are spectacular.
The Friends of Holcomb Farm’s Fresh Access program joined with one of its institutional partners, Healing Meals, to apply for a “donor-advised fund” grant through the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. We received a $4,000 grant from an anonymous donor fund that will help provide produce and equipment to the Healing Meals Community Project.
Saturday, May 5 is the Annual Progressive Dinner. If you are interested and still without a ticket, contact Cathy at cathy@holcombfarm.org.