Family farm history

In 1778, Noah Parsons III moved with his family to farm on what is now Easthampton Road in Westhampton. 225 years later, the Parsons family still owns and farms that same land. Today, the farm is run by brothers Henry III and Edward Parsons. Henry manages the dairy herd while Ed oversees the crops, maple sugaring, and equipment. All of the hay and corn silage fed to the cows is grown on land around the farm. Currently the milking herd consists of roughly 100 registered Holstein (the majority), Brown Swiss, and Jersey cows.

As the farm has passed from generation to generation, it has seen many changes. A sawmill was built in the 1840's and remained in operation until the early 1970's. Henry and Ed's father and mother, Mahlon II and Bertha, instigated the switch to registered cattle in the 1950's. With a B.S. in Animal Science from the University of Massachusetts, Henry began concentrating on genetics for type and production in the early 1970's. A new freestall barn and milking parlor were constructed in the early 1980's. Ed and Henry built a commodities shed in the late 1990's and are currently just trying to keep the place from falling down.

The present company...

Besides Ed and Henry, several others are involved in making the farm run smoothly. Henry's wife, Margie (also a UMass AnSci grad.), often milks and feeds calves. Westhampton treasurer and accountant, Margie also handles the farm's finances and bookkeeping. Trina, Edward's wife, is a manager at Ben & Bill's as well as an entrepreneur. The younger generation includes, on Henry and Margie's side, Ethan and his younger sister Kate, and on Ed and Trina's side, Clint and his younger brother Lee. Ethan is a researcher at MIT, while Kate is the Berkshire County district conservationist for the U.S.D.A. Natural Resources Conservation Service. A Cornell Ag. school graduate, Kate is based in Pittsfield and regularly pitches in. Clint, a recent UMass NRE graduate, is currently an Agricultural Specialist with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. When not searching for Catfish Hunter, he keeps an eye on Minnesota's border with Canada. Lee is studying to become an HVAC engineer and helps out with weekend chores and maple sugaring.

And a little glory...

In 1998, Henry and Edward Parsons were named the Massachusetts Outstanding Dairy Farmers. In competing for this coveted award, farmers are judged on the basis of farm management, crop management, milk quality, and service in the dairy industry. The award was widely recognized to be the result of the brothers' attention to detail, meticulousness in monitoring their cows' environment, and paying the utmost attention to feeding and breeding. The Parsons family was honored along with the winners from each of the other New England States at an awards ceremony held at the Big E.