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Cooks Valley Farm |
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Yes. Probably 90% to 95% of the produce is grown by us. Occasionally we buy
produce we are short on from other local growers. We don’t buy from the
wholesale markets. The signs for the produce on the farm stand tell the consumer
if it is from our farm or another local grower. If we are unable to obtain a
particular product locally then we do without.
The farm in Wrentham, where the farm stand is located, is hilly and especially suited for growing fruit. There we raise a wide variety of apples and many other fruits. Virtually all of the fruit is grown in Wrentham along with some vegetables. We raise most of the vegetables on two locations in south Franklin. The soils there are a deep sandy loam, ideal for vegetable production.
Yes. We use an IPM (Integrated Pest Management) approach. IPM SITE This system uses many of the same techniques as organic growers. IPM involves monitoring disease, insect, and weed populations through scouting and trapping. Acceptable population thresholds are determined and when those populations exceed the acceptable levels various treatments are considered. Whereas organic growers are restricted to using organic pesticides and organic solutions, IPM growers will look not only at organic chemicals but treatments that are least toxic to beneficials. (ex.“good bugs” that eat “bad bugs”) Like organic growers chemicals are only one tool used in an IPM system. Crop rotation and cover cropping help the soil nutrient levels along with breaking up life cycles of various pests. We use a lot of mechanical cultivation and hand hoeing to control weed populations. We use compost on many crops to help in nutrient levels. Mulching is a good system to control weeds, diseases, and aid in water conservation. In the winter, prunings are burned to control insects and diseases. Insect traps are put out to monitor population levels. There is much research being done, by universities and growers, on solutions to ag problems.
This varies slightly from year to year but generally speaking—strawberries run from mid-June to July 4th. Sweet corn is harvested from the end of July until a killing frost (about Columbus Day the last few years). Greenhouse tomatoes start in June and are harvested till the garden ones start, the end of July. For other crops HARVEST CHART
Winter is a time to reflect on the past season and look forward to the next. It’s the time of year we review crop records and decide what worked and what needs to be changed. Winter is when we attend meetings and seminars, research new ideas and set up planting schedule. It takes a great deal of planning to get a continuous supply of certain crops throughout the summer. Apples and the rest of the fruit are pruned this time of year. It’s also when the machinery and buildings are repaired. It’s also when a lot of the wooden produce boxes are made.
Yes, we live in the large family farm house. Our commute is short.
The original portion of the barn was built around the late 1700s. Sometime around 1880 the barn was jacked up and the cellar was added along with the front section of the barn. The single wooden coupler blew off in the 1938 hurricane and two steel ones were put up to replace it.
There are three full time people working in the fields during the spring, summer, and fall. There is another two people working washing, grading produce and working the farm stand. There are a few people working part time when extra help is needed.
The tree is a tulip poplar tree planted in 1886 to mark the birth of Ethel (Cook) Whipple. She later married Arthur Whipple. They owned and operated the Whipple dairy farm on the corners of Jenks Rd., Luke St. and West St. The farm was later run by one of their sons, Elmer Cook. Another son, Carl along with his wife, ran Whipple dairies, where they bottled fresh milk and had a home delivery business.
We have approximately 5 acres in tree fruit and another 30 acres in vegetables.
