Farm
This 200 year old farm is located in a secluded hollow, one mile from the nearest neighbor, along an old dirt road named for the Kesslers, an early Lanesborough dairy farming family. The road itself has become a cathedral of trees leading to the farm. The canopy gives way to open sky, fields, and ponds, and you will see the farm much as it has looked for 190 years. This tiny valley nestles at the foot of Mt. Greylock and drains north and south, providing headwaters for both the Housatonic and Hoosic Rivers.
Until the invention of asphalt, Kessler Road was a bad-weather alternative to the main road between Williamstown and Pittsfield, and it eventually hosted at least five other farmhouses.
The decline in New England farming between 1870 and 1950 led to the abandonment of all the early homes on Kessler Road, except our farm. Land parcels had to be sold off, but happily, the Phelps family, abutters to the north, bought a large piece, and they are now the last dairy farmers in this part of Berkshire County. For the past 100 years, farming in this area has become a labor of love.
In 1987, the Bartons bought the core of the old Kessler property, about 150 acres including the farmhouse and several outbuildings, one an original barn dating from 1790. With ongoing restoration work, this is home today for our sheep, chickens and pigs, and the hay loft holds up to 1,000 bales, enough for the toughest Berkshire winter.
The animals are all heritage breeds, ancient strains not bred to maximize market value. These are animals that have retained natural hardiness, higher resistance to diseases and injury, and ability to thrive on a broader range of diets. They are easy and good as parents and babies. These qualities make them ideal for part-time farmers like the Bartons who must also work off-farm to balance the books.
These days, Sky Dance is home to numerous gardens and up to 100 creatures–about three dozen chickens, 30 Navajo-Churro sheep (45-50 after lambing in April/May), and sometimes Tamworth pigs. The chickens are for egg production, and the animals for meat. We hope soon to make profitable use of the wool from the sheep, shorn in late May each year. The barn is subdivided to accommodate the differing needs of the animals, and the fields outside have been divided into 7-8 pastures to allow rotational grazing. We have some concern about predators, but our losses have been remarkably small, due in part to our three dogs who are allowed to roam the property freely. They will bark loudly when you arrive at the farm, but the tails are wagging–they’re friendly noisemakers.
Products available for sale at Sky Dance Farm:
- Lamb
- Pork
- Fresh eggs
- Daylilies