SHELBURNE — As part of Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture’s (CISA) Climate Change and Farming Week, Wheel-View Farm will host an open house that invites the community to experience the operations of the farm, as well as a museum on the property.
The open house is slated for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 27, at the 212 Reynolds Road farm. Though owner Carolyn Wheeler noted the weather isn’t painting the best picture for the open house, she still invites everyone who is interested in learning about the history of the farm and how its operations are promoting a healthy environment to stop by.
One way Wheel-View Farm accomplishes the goal of supporting a healthy environment is through rotational grazing, which is the practice of sectioning off parts of the pasture and allowing cattle to only feed in that specific area. This way, Wheeler said, the cows aren’t just eating the fresh, new grass, but she explained that, like trees, grass can hold carbon dioxide that otherwise would enter the atmosphere.
“It’s healthier for the people,” Wheeler said. “It’s also very good for the environment.”
According to CISA’s Communications Manager Claire Morenon, Wheel-View Farm was one of the first farms that volunteered to host an event as part of Climate Change and Farming Week, which kicked off on Monday. Several events have been held in Hampshire County. The North Quabbin Garlic & Arts Festival in Orange on Saturday, Sept. 26, and Sunday, Sept. 27, is also included in the week of events.
“This event is pretty grassroots; we put out an invitation every year. … It could be a community group, an institution or a farm to develop and host events,” Morenon said. “Wheel-View Farm has been part of the CISA community … for many, many, many years. I think for this particular event, they put their hands up and were like, ‘We would love to host an open house.'”
Visitors can also check out a museum on Wheel-View Farm’s property, which includes “a variety of tools” that Wheeler said her ancestors left behind that are no longer used in modern farming. Also on site is a player piano, a type of piano with a built-in mechanism that allows it to play on its own. Wheeler added that the farm has “literally hundreds of paper rolls” that can be inserted into the piano so it can play the music hands-free.
If the inclement weather that is in the forecast doesn’t come to pass, Wheeler said there’s a hill on the property where, from the top, you can see Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and one mountain in Connecticut. Weather permitting, she said the farm will offer hayrides to the top of the hill.
When people visit the farm, though, Wheeler said there’s always one thing that they are eager to learn.
“They like to know the cattle are happy,” Wheeler said.
