Now Available...
Drawn to the Land:
The Romance of Farming
Barton and Elizabeth Cockey's love of upstate New York's Battenkill River Valley is evident in their newest project with a focus on farming.
"We became intrigued talking with local farming families about the loss of the dairy farm," Elizabeth said. "Over the last 40 years the small dairy farm, once an important and vital industry became marginalized through over-regulation, high taxes and a lack of capital. Many farms went out of business, sold their parcels for new housing subdivisions, and auctioned off the livestock and equipment, finding work in nearby cities."
Anyone driving the back roads in the vicinity from Greenwich through Salem and north to Granville can witness the demise of the small dairy farm. Many beautiful old barns and out buildings have fallen into ruin; fields are now overgrown with weeds where farmers once grew alfalfa and oats for their dairy cows.
But some of the farming families stayed on the land that they had inherited from their forefathers as far back as the American Revolution.
"I think some stayed because the farm had been in their family for generations and they felt a responsibility to maintain it. What was most important was a sense of community that centered around the land that they loved."
A few hung on…
Download Sample Pages (520.84 KB)
Read what people are writing about Drawn to the Land.
Crystal Book Reviews
Niki's Book Reviews
Ellz Readz
The Stuff You Need to Know