Massaro Farm

It’s early September 2009 and the sown buckwheat is blooming. Swing on by and get a visual feast of a field full of buckwheat blossoms. And, if you look hard, you will see the pear trees with bunches of fruit ripening high in the branches.

(see all the photos)

The Woodbridge Conservation Commission is proud to sponsor a Summer Walking Tour of the Massaro Farm on Saturday July 25 from 12:30pm-2:30pm (Rain Date Sunday July 26). Learn about the history of the Farm and exciting future plans, while enjoying the great outdoors! Wear appropriate footwear and clothing for moderate hike in the woods and through the fields. Light fare and refreshments will be served. Come one, Come all.

On Saturday, June 6th, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro came to visit the farm. She was greeted by members of the Woodbridge Board of Selectmen and the board of the Massaro Community Farm. It was a beautiful day and a perfect opportunity to discuss with the Congresswoman the future plans for the farm. Her support was made clear as we talked about nutritional education, support of small farms, and charitable giving to low income families and organizations. We hope that Congresswoman DeLauro will come back to the farm later this year after we’ve made demonstrable progress with the restoration.

On May 3rd the Woodbridge Conservation Commission held their annual walk at the Massaro Farm. The weather didn’t cooperate yet the attendence was great. More than thirty people came to learn about the farm, see the inside of the barns, and stroll down the old cow path to the irrigation pond and into the forest.

We hope to offer another walking tour this summer in better weather.
Join our email list so you don’t miss the next opportunity.

In February the Woodbridge Conservation Commission applied for, on behalf of the Massaro Farm, and was awarded 25 hours of technical assistance from the American Farmland Trust. The technical assistance comes in the form of professional consulting in areas detailed in the publication, Planning for Agriculture: A Guide for Connecticut Municipalities. Possible uses could be: evaluating the farm land, increasing public outreach and awareness, or forming a local Agricultural Commission. Our Board will be discussing these ideas, and others, for the best use of this consultation.

What a way to start the new year!

The Town of Woodbridge has been awarded a $50,000 grant for the restoration of the Farm, specifically the dairy barn. The money comes from the State of Connecticut’s Agricultural Viability Grant. We topped the list of municipalities awarded this grant. This is a “matching grant” which means we must raise the equivalent of $50,000 through volunteered labor, donated goods, and monetary contributions.

Many of you have already signed up for our email list and even offered to volunteer. It is with your eager support that we can restore this Farm. If you haven’t signed up for our email newsletter, you can do so by clicking here.

The focus of this grant is the dairy barn renovation. Once restored it will be the centerpiece of the farming operations, providing a meeting place for consumers and local townspeople, and a facility for processing, selling, and distributing farm goods. A viewing deck overlooking the scenic fields and acreage will connect the community to the land being farmed. The hay loft is a spectacular example of a clear-span truss design and might offer a meeting place for educational activities.

This is just the start of an exciting year of renewal at the Farm.

In the spring of 2008 Jason Morrill interviewed several people who worked on the Farm in the between the 1960s and 1980s. Here is a 3 minute video produced from the interview footage.

Watch the 3-Minute History video

Check out our latest article published in the Valley Gazette and Amity Observer:

Read the article

This week the Town of Woodbridge Facilities Department made the first step in renovating the Farm. They cleared around the most important structures to help save and protect them from vandalism.

The Stone Barn, built by John Massaro Sr in 1931, was surrounded by dilapidated chicken coops and lean-to sheds. The coops were cleared away leaving solid cement slabs that could be reused in the future. The attached sheds were taken down and the ground leveled.

(left: old chicken coops, right: coops removed)

The Wisconsin-style Dairy Barn was being reclaimed by mother nature. Vines had crept behind the siding and reached through holes in the roof. Along the road was a small shed which used to access the silo. The shed had no roof and could not be saved. The roof of the dairy barn has a number of holes and the shingles are falling apart. A heavy duty black tarp was applied to protect if from the elements until a new roof can be installed.

(dairy barn viewed from the road)

(left: BEFORE east end of barn, right: AFTER east end of barn)

The house is already in reasonably good shape but needed vines, briars, and small trees removed.

John Massaro Jr. used to park his tractor in a barn next to the road. Years ago that barn was struck by lightning and burnt to the ground leaving a cement foundation. That foundation has been removed and the ground leveled making way for a future parking area at the Farm.

Our deepest thanks go to the Town for starting us down the road to reconstruction.