Ascutney View Farm

08/18/2025

During Eric and Susan Cole's journey toward sustainability at Ascutney View Farm, they have discovered that their 100% grass feed Katahdin sheep love to browse and graze on a very long list of native and invasive shrubs, forbs, and grasses.

One native flowering plant present at Ascutney View Farm the sheep DO NOT like to eat is Joe-Pye W**d.

Joe-Pye W**d is a perennial plant with light green leaves which reaches 6 to 7 feet tall. In August Joe-Pye W**d producers large, dramatic, clusters of light pink flowers at the top of it's tall, robust stalks. It prefers open sunny locations with damp or poorly drained soils.

Joe-Pye W**d flowers are persistent and have a sweet vanilla like odor. Bees and other native pollinators find the flowers attractive and a good source of pollen and nectar during a time of year when most nectar producing flowers are absent. Humming Birds find the blooms very attractive.

Joe-Pye W**d is not widespread at Ascutney View Farm because most of the open, sunny, pastures are well drained. But it is present in the damp, poorly drained areas of full Sun.

Joe-Pye W**d makes a dramatic statement in flower gardens and is somewhat deer resistant.

06/07/2025

New life on the farm never gets old. These twin lambs found their rhythm at the milk bar—side by side, just minutes after birth. Nature’s choreography at its finest. 💛

06/05/2025

05/06/2025

Does my fresh hairdo inspire joy?

04/29/2025

First day on pasture after a long winter. You think they are happy??? Should be seeing newborn lambs in the pasture in about a month from now.

03/15/2025

We had a successful day in the sugar house. Sap has been flowing very well. Today's syrup production reached about 80 gallons. A full tank is now stored in the sugar house. Additional sap is being collected in the woods tank overnight. We anticipate a busy day tomorrow.

01/15/2025

HELP WANTED. We are looking for a passionate, energetic and highly reliable individual to join our farm team in producing exceptional quality maple syrup, manage healthy forests, support sustainable land stewardship, help maintain farm buidings and other related farm duties.
Requirements:
1. Prior experience and/or a deep interest in maple syrup production, including sugar bush maintenance and development
2. Have an in interest in forest management, including saw timber and firewood production while managing for wildlife and recreation opportunities
3. Proficiency with large equipment such as farm tractors, excavators, etc.
4. Previous chainsaw/logging experience
5. Interested in grass-fed livestock and sustainable grazing systems
6. Experience working with livestock (sheep, horses, cows)
7. Mechanically inclined with strong carpentry skills
8. Self-disciplined, efficient, and capable of working independently to complete tasks

Benefits:
Partial to full housing in a 1-bedroom, 1-bath farmhouse on-site (based on hours worked)
Future opportunities to expand on other farming interests or other innovative ideas
Willing to train the right individual.

01/04/2025

12/25/2024

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!🎄🎁

12/21/2024

Yesterday we welcomed our new temporary guest, Mustafa to AVF!! We are excited to see his sons and daughters arriving first part of June 2025.

11/05/2024

Lucky enough to take advantage of this dry weather to get some pine and undesirable hardwoods cut out of the remaining untapped portion of our sugar bush. Trees are cut, delimbed, and cut to merchantable lengths in the woods. This system is desirable when you want to minimize damage to residual crop trees from conventional tree length methods.