Love is in the air and on the dairy farm! This is the final blog of a three-part series featuring different love stories and the reasons New England dairy farmers love raising their family on the farm.
“Raising my own three children, I was fortunate to take them to work with me every day.”
Meet Sandy Carlson Boardman and Rick Boardman! The Carlson family owns and operates Carlwood Farm in Connecticut.
MBTM: How did you meet?
SCB: Our moms were waitresses together when I was young, but didn’t meet Rick until I was in college when he started driving our milk truck. He drove for three years, but I was busy at college, so we both just had crushes on each other and that was the extent of it. Shortly after he stopped driving, I graduated, and he and I both ended up working at the Jacquiers’ Laurelbrook Farm. The rest is 30 years of history! We were engaged after just six weeks of dating and married a year later.
Fun Fact: Carlwood Farm is just a few miles up the road from Laurelbrook Farm. Cricket Jacquier (featured in part I of this series) drove the hayride for Sandy’s wedding party!
MBTM: Favorite part about raising a family on the farm?
SCB: The more hands, the easier the work. Also, sharing stories and sharing daily life. We are generations three, four, and five of the Carlson family to be farming in Canaan Valley! I was raised on the farm, and looking back, I appreciate my parents were home when I got on the bus and they were there when I got home. Raising my own three children, I was fortunate to take them to work with me every day. I was fortunate to greet them when they got off the bus. As a farm kid, I was busy working and never found much time to get into trouble. As far as I know, the same is true for my three children now in their 20’s.
“We feel truly blessed to be able to raise our boys the way we were raised…outside!!!”
Meet Stephanie and Seth Pope! Stephanie works on her family’s farm, Iroquois Acres and Seth for his family’s, North Wind Acres.
MBTM: So how does that work?
SP: My husband and I are a little different. He manages his family’s farm, and I manage the finances on my family farm—I help Seth when I’m needed. We are currently in the process of joining together to work on the same farm so we’ll soon (really) be farming together! Our farms names are Iroquois Acres (I’m 3rd generation), and his family’s farm is North Wind Acres. Seth just started milking in 2014!
MBTM: How did you meet?
SP: Seth and I have always known each other but we met (as I like to say) at a local restaurant where we just happened to be! Nothing romantic with that story. But the rest is history!
MBTM: Favorite part about raising a family on the farm?
SP: Seth and I have 2 boys, Rowdy (3) and Remy (22 months). The boys love going to the farm and helping out. They have a pair of dwarf goats that they love to take for walks! We feel truly blessed to be able to raise our boys the way we were raised…outside!!! And they’re able to be by our sides and get to spend time with the rest of our family.
Long Distance #FarmLove!
Meet Peter Hawkes and Beth Hodge! Peter’s farm is Greener Acres in Massachusetts and Beth’s farm is Echo Farm in New Hampshire. Their farms are about 90 miles apart.
Peter says, “We each have our own farm so we can get along.”
HA! Whatever works!!! All relationships are unique and we hope you enjoyed our series highlighting different dairy farm families and couples.
Stay connected with our New England dairy farm families and all other farm families nationwide by following the hashtag #FarmLove on social media.