The Allen Farm

Though he grew up “in town,” you can tell that Brian Allen’s heart has always been on the farm. His grandparents’ dairy provided him with an upbringing close to animals that you can see in the care he’s taken to rehabilitate the barn and buildings on his own place, the 78-acre Allen Farm.

In just five years, Brian and Jodi, his wife, have built their “freezer” trade in beef and pork to the point where it’s all sold to customers who know where to find it at their farm stand. With 20 acres in permanent hay, the farm rounds out its selection of products by adding Golden Comet chickens (top brown egg-layers), blueberries, sweet corn and pumpkins as space allows.

Brian learned about WAC from the neighboring dairies in the area and contacted Dan Flaherty of the WAC Small Farms Program as soon as he purchased the farm. During 2004, Dan and his teammate, Chris Creelman of the Delaware County Soil and Water District, worked with the Allens to install the first water protection practice on their list: a covered barnyard feeding area which has made a huge difference in keeping runoff from entering nearby Loomis Brook and the farm’s other wet areas. With a steady population of young stock — both calves and pigs — within range of the water course, the farmer and planning team are eagerly watching the improvements this practice has made in the stream.

As the Allens tackle other building projects to improve their operation, the Small Farms team is able to work in tandem: watering stations for livestock are being added as the hog pens are improved, fencing to direct animals away from the tributary will be coordinated with gravel improvements the Allens will make around the feeding area. A stream crossing to allow safe traffic across the brook to 45 acres of pasture on the other side will cap this Whole Farm Plan.

Brian and Jodi seem to be interested in every aspect of farming and farm life — from working the land to providing a safe, diverse food supply in their community. The rewards of this “part-time” job are described by Brian — “Having a 4-H kid win a ribbon with one of our feeder pigs makes it all worthwhile.” With hopes of participating in WAC’s Conservation Easement Program, the Allens represent what many believe is the future of our area’s farms — farmland that’s producing high quality food, a consumer who knows where and how their food is grown, a rural community that benefits many times over from the beauty of the farmstead, and water consumers whose land is in good hands.