Are You a Fan of the Milky Way?

We mean, are you a Fan of the Milky Way Farms Facebook page? :-) If not, you can check us out here. And Rose, our long-time and awesome employee at the restaurant came up with an idea. Whoever is Fan 500 will receive a special token of appreciation...so tell one, tell all!

Apple Picking on the Farm

Fall on the Farm. Last weekend Matt, Shon, and Jess picked apples from a abandoned (old) orchard around the farm. We picked enough to take to the local cider mill and press 14 gallons! Here is a pictorial journey of a few beautiful fall days.

On the way to the orchard...

Cows were hanging out nearby. This one is mid-bite on an apple.

Matt picking apples

There were plenty, but some were out of reach. So Shon lifted us up in the tractor's bucket.

Apples picked, bagged, and off to the cider mill.

The press- you can see the two white plates on the bottom and the unpressed apple pulp are wrapped in burlap in between the plates. Pressing mechanism starting to close in...

Post pressing- see how the plates are now pressed together?

Cider flows into the BYO milk can we brought from the farm.

All cidered up and ready to go home.

A Barn-Raising Experience

Recently the farm team decided to install a new structure to provide cows with shelter from harsh winter conditions as well as hay storage. This "barn" is a metal pole structure with canvas covering and it arrived in the middle of some wet and windy conditions last week (in the farm of unassembled poles and ratchets). The hardy farm crew set to work in the rain and over the next three days, assembled this massive barn. Here are some photos of this latest adventure!

We missed pics from Day 1 but we'll start on Day 2:

Yes, those are round bales of hay that they are standing on. No, it's probably not OSHA approved :-) PS- can you see two of our brown dogs?

Starting to put the canvas over the metal frame...

Below is farm crewman Derek. I told him to pose like it was his senior picture :-)

I forgot to mention that the pigs were hanging out with the crew the whole time, hiding from the rainy weather in the hay bales. We eventually had to kick them out once they started to chew on the canvas and cloth ratchets!

Finally, Day 3 was sunny and bright and here is the crew finishing up the final ratchet adjustments.

And it's even in Penn State colors!

Milky Way Gets a New Look!

Recently we worked with a local graphic designer (Autumn R. from Mansfield) to give our old logo a fresh look. We wanted to maintain the original concept - that is decades old - so we did a few subtle changes with the cow design. In particular, we changed this cow from a Holstein - of which we no longer really have in our herd - to a Lineback, a breed especially great for grass-based dairying. We think she's pretty cute! What do you think?

Year of the Barn DVD screening tonight at the Rialto!

Hi Folks,

Tonight at 6pm the Troy Rotary Club is sponsoring a showing of the Year of the Barn DVD. This hour-long film brought to you by the Northern Tier Cultural Alliance features some of the region's historic barns as well as farms. Toward the end you may see some familiar faces from the Milky Way! Tickets are $15, can be purchased at the door at the Rialto Theatre in Canton, PA. Price includes drinks, appetizers featuring local farm fresh ingredients, and popcorn. Refreshments and Social Hour begin at 6pm, film screens at 7pm. Please join us if you can!

Weekly Sign 9-21-09

Shon Delivers a Calf (Warning: A Bit Graphic)

What happens when Shon, a cow in labor, and Derek's cell phone with video capabilities get together? THIS!

Weekly Sign 8-27-09

Cows Graze Corn Part II

Cows Grazing ... Corn!

This summer Kim and Shon decided to plant some open pollinated corn in one of the fields for cows to graze. Grazing it a little at a time makes it a special treat for the cows - as Shon learned the other day when he let them move on in to the first section! They loved it. Here is "Cows Graze Corn Part 1", taken by Derek's cell phone of the dairy herd enjoying their afternoon snack...

Weekly Sign 8-11-09

Milky Way Farms in Film and TV!

Greetings, Farm Followers!

Welcome to the blog for Milky Way Farms in Troy, PA. We're happy you're here and hope you'll stop again soon. Various members of the farm will be contributing to this blog,and we have hopes that you'll be able to read about happenings on the farm, news in the world of sustainable agriculture, recipes, and lighter fare. 

This month we've been fortunate to be featured in not one, but TWO video productions:

 

Year of the Barn DVD: The first is a documentary by the Northern Tier Cultural Alliance called "The Barns and Agriculture of Pennsylvania's Northern Tier: A Portrait." This film is available NOW on DVD. The hour-long documentary takes a look at the history of the barn structure, how to identify its origins, and the role it plays in past and present agriculture. The DVD also features interviews with barn experts and local farmers as well as footage from NTCA's two Year of the Barn Dances held in Coudersport and Troy. Milky Way Farms is one of the farms profiled as well as a cameo interview from Lewis Seeley, Milky Way Farms founder who passed away earlier this summer. The DVD is available at the PA North country Artisan Center & Store in Towanda. For more information, call Kathy at the store at 570-268-5055 or visit their website at www.ntculturalalliance.org 

'Round the County Program on Blue RIdge Cable 13: Ken VanSant of VanSant Productions (who also filmed the Year of the Barn DVD) also profiled Milky Way Farms in his regular program, 'Round the County on Blue Ridge Cable Access 13. If you live in our region you can watch it this upcoming weekend at the following times: 

Saturday July 25 at 10:30 am and 7:30 pm

Sunday July 26 at 11:30 am and 8:30 pm

That's all for now! 

--jess