HOLYOKE – Among the three farms participating at the first Winter Farmers Market of this new year, D & R Farm offers a varied selection of vegetables, pastries, cookies, honey, meats and eggs raised on their farm located at 146 Thresher Road in Hampden.
Its owners, Diane and Robert Rollins have been in the business for the past nine years but for both Robert and Diane, working the farm has been a family tradition since they were children. According to Diane Rollins, Robert Rollins had already been raising turkeys since he was a child in the town of East Longmeadow.
Her parents taught her from a very young age how to grow produce and raise chickens. “My father taught me to tune up the car and my mother to sew and knit and cook. The two of them taught us how to care for and cultivate the land,” said Diane Rollins.
D & R farm is totally family-friendly. They raise about 300 meat birds a week and about 250 turkeys which by the end of Thanksgiving season were already sold out.
Atlas Farm and Red Fire Farm participated in the event as well with their organic products.
Richie Allium, Atlas Farm’s manager said that the farm has 100 hectares of space and a greenhouse where they produce green products such as lettuce and tomatoes.
All farmers accept EBT/SNAP/HIP and WIC programs for the convenience of all participants.
Among the varied selection of products that can be found at the Holyoke Farmers Market, honey, eggs, jam and original sauces prepared on the farms with their own tomatoes were available to all visitors.
Although 2020 was a difficult year for many businesses, Diane Rollins said her farm was blessed with being able to provide products available to the entire community.
“It has been a blessing for us because as a farmer, people have been willing to come to us and we have a lot and God was very good to us. I grew so many vegetables that I even donated this year that I have never been able to. We donated to the food pantry here in Holyoke and Springfield, she said. They also donated 575 pounds of vegetables to two shelters and on several occasions, they were able to donate meat as well.
It is Diane Rollins hope that COVID-19 will be completely eradicated this year and she said she also hoped to be able to raise 20,000 birds a year and grow her business to the point of being part of the USDA and thus being able to sell her organic meats everywhere in US.
“Our meat is phenomenal; it is tasty and juicy. The flavor is intense, and you fill up faster, because it has no filling or fat. My chickens have juice but no fat. We do not feed our chickens corn, only good things and insects because they enter and leave their coop freely,” she said.
D & R Farm participate in the winter market every other weekend and will be back on Saturday, January 16.
The Holyoke Farmers Market was founded in 1979 and the Winter Farmers Market meets on the first and third Saturday of every month from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Memorial War Building located at 310 Appleton Street in Holyoke. They follow social distancing guidelines as well as the number of people inside the building.