For many family farms, each new generation brings a wave of change. Whether they’re responding to shifting market conditions, the changing climate or just following their own passions, each generation puts its own stamp on the business. River Maple Farm, located on Route 5 in Bernardston, is no exception.
Rena Grover runs the farm alongside her parents Butch and Donna Grover, her partner Brandon Koncal, and her sister Regina Parsons — with plenty of enthusiastic support from Noah Parsons, who is 3 and “just as much a farmer as any of us,” said Rena Grover.
“Our main thing is that we’re a 60-cow dairy,” said Rena Grover. “We ship our milk to Cabot, and most of it goes to the Cabot plant in West Springfield for butter. We also have our farmstand, where in the spring we sell hanging baskets and plants; vegetables, herbs and cut flowers in the summer; and pumpkins, mums and fall décor in the fall.”
They also offer pick-your-own flowers. Right now, sunflowers and zinnias are in season and ready to cut and take home.
Originally, the farm was focused on the classic New England combination of dairy cows and maple syrup production. Rena Grover’s great-grandfather started River Maple Farm in 1912, and it expanded to a couple hundred cows by the 1980s. After Butch and Donna Grover took over with their kids, they reduced the herd size over the years to its current scope.
“The 50 to 60 cows we have now is a really nice size for us,” said Rena Grover. “We can manage it without hiring outside help, which would be a whole different management system.”
The dairy recently had an unexpected opportunity for modernization, arriving on the heels of an emergency.
“We had a barn collapse two years ago and we thought, ‘oh no, are we out of the dairy business?’” said Rena Grover.
The family was awarded a Food Security Infrastructure Grant (FSIG), which is a state grant program that provides funding for on-farm and other food business infrastructure. They also received a Farm Viability grant, which is federal, to cover some of the internal upgrades to the new building.
“We have a feed rail now, which keeps the feed fresher and cleaner for the cows, and bigger stalls that accommodate the larger modern cow. We have insulating curtains that help keep the cows more comfortable, especially in the winter,” said Rena Grover.
In this process, the family opted not to add robotic milkers. These are a common labor-saving tool that Rena and Donna Grover — the human milkers — voted against.
“I like milking cows, and I like the relationship I have with cows when I milk them,” said Grover. “When I go to bed at night, I know that every cow has been milked. If the next generation didn’t want to milk cows, we’d talk about it, but as long as I’m here the cows will get milked by us.”
Caring for livestock, especially in such a hands-on way, is a year-round occupation with no days off. Adding in the farm stand and the accompanying “garden,” which is nearly two-and-a-half acres of vegetables, sweet corn, herbs and flowers, is a passion project led by the younger generation.
“After I graduated high school, I was finding my place and what brought me joy was the farm stand. I love milking cows but if that was the only thing I was doing, it wouldn’t be so much fun,” said Rena Grover. “So that’s how I’ve put my own stamp on the farm. We started doing flowers because my sister was getting married and wanted us to grow the flowers for the wedding, and we’ve been doing it for eight years now. Sometimes doing it all stresses me out, but I like having something different than just the cows.”
Rena Grover makes the bouquets for the farm store herself. “The flowers stay freshest if I take care of that before other chores, so I’m out there at 5 a.m. cutting flowers with the birds,” she said. “I grew up growing giant sunflowers and entering them into the Franklin County Fair, and so I’ve always loved sunflowers. We also grow zinnias, marigolds, eucalyptus and fresh herbs like basil for the bouquets.”
As the Grovers look to the future, they have a mix of dreams for the farm and hope that the next generation will come in with their own plans. “I’d like to see the pick-your-own flowers get bigger,” said Rena Grover. “Maybe a petting zoo or other ways to get more people to visit.”
But at the same time, “Having Noah on the farm definitely puts into perspective that every generation has to do their own thing,” she said. “I’d like to add more agritourism but I fully expect that the next generation will have their own ideas for what they want to do. We have this piece of land and it’s our job to keep it going for the next generation.”
“I always say this work is the most satisfying thing I could do. Seeing pretty cows that you’ve raised since they were babies – the relationship you have with the cows is so special. Putting something in the ground and then it grows and you end up with a beautiful flower or food on your table — it’s a special way of life.”
River Maple Farm’s farm stand and flower fields are open during daylight hours. The pick-your-own flower field is self-serve with options to pay using Venmo or at the stand. Sunflowers should be available through Labor Day weekend and zinnias will be available until the first frost.
Claire Morenon is the communications manager for Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA). To find cows, farm stands and PYO flowers near you, see our online guide at buylocalfood.org.