Dayspring Farm was originally started by the Jackson family, comprising of a woman and her mother. The farm house that still is on the property today was built in 1896. At this time the farm consisted of about 100 acres. The farm was then bought by the Trevillions who also farmed the land. George Trevillion also was the county tax collector so people would come to the farm to pay their taxes. When the Maloney's first moved into the farm, it was still commonly referred to as "George's Place" by other locals.
In the 1920s one of the large 40 acre fields was sold to a neighbor. This occurred again in the 1930s, leaving the 18 acres that the Maloney family owns today. Another local had purchased the farm as a second home after moving to Florida to pursue a furniture business. The farm was rented out for about 20 years and was used to farm mainly the commodity crops of corn, soy beans, and wheat. The Charlie and Miriam Maloney purchased the farm in 1987. They immediately transitioned into organic farming practices when they moved onto it. The family started a small CSA in 1991 with around 20 members and has gradually grown since then to a current membership of 200+. In the beginning they farmed only a few acres while renting some land out to others. Gradually, they were able to manage all 18 acres on their own. Currently Dayspring Farm has around 4 seasoned farm hands and several summertime workers in addition to a full time whole farm manager. We have crops growing year-round and have veggies to sell almost every week of the year. We sell to local stores, restaurants, and our large CSA customer base. Dayspring Farm operates based off of ecologically sustainable agricultural principles. In accordance with this, the farm uses compost and natural soil amendments for fertilization, cover crops, natural pest control and crop rotation. Dayspring farmers regard building a healthy soil as the foundation for responsible, sustainable agriculture. The farming equipment consists of a John Deere utility tractor, (tiller, disc, water wheel transplanter, and mulch layer) a 1953 Farmall Super 8 Cub tractor (for cultivation and hilling) a BCS walk-behind tractor, (Power Harrow, Flail Mower, Rotary Plow, and Tiller), Earthway seeders, Jang seeder, and plenty of hand tools. In addition, specific farm facilities include, a large wash, pack, cooler barn, a large equipment pole barn, a greenhouse for starting plants, and 5 unheated high tunnels. The two barns were built by Charlie and Miriam's son Jason Maloney (of Tall Pine Builders)! Past Grants
|
"Dayspring farmers regard building a healthy soil as
|