What it means to be a FAMILY farm
posted on
January 17, 2020
Miller’s Biodiversity Farm is a family farm. It’s run by Aaron and his wife Rebecca… with an increasing amount of help from their five young children.
As far as farms go, it’s a very small operation, operating on about 50 acres in Lancaster County, PA. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot of work to do. There’s a lot of work to do, and everyone pitches in!
Aaron handles most of the farming tasks - feeding the animals, tending to the pastures, making hay, milking, and so on. He also manages staff and the business side of the farm.
Rebecca holds down the house - making sure everyone has home cooked meals, clean clothes, attention to emotional or health issues… all of the domestic things. She also meticulously washes and sanitizes all of the milking equipment. She helps prepare for milking by soaking rags and such, but usually has to run back to the house to get supper on the table.
Ben (11) and John (9) feed the calves, help feed the cows and horses, and help clean the udders and teats when milking. They’re Aaron’s right hand boys. And, if they can keep up with Aaron, staying 3-5 cows ahead the Aaron putting the milker on, they earn $0.10 per day.
This week, they used half of the money earned last year to buy adventure books. This was a special father-son trip to the bookstore.
Martha (6) helps feed the calves. She also helps Rebecca in the house cleaning, preparing meals, packing school lunches, doing laundry, and keeping the baby happy.
Martha can’t wait for the day she’s a bit bigger to help with the milking. Basically, she needs enough focus to not step on a cows toe by accident. She really wants that $0.10 per day reward!
Hannah (4) helps a bit with Rebecca in the house. She helps set the table and wants to follow Daddy to see the pigs and the heifers.
Lena (1) keeps everyone smiling. She waves to everyone as they come and go.
Aaron also has some awesome, generous, and kind part-time on-farm staff from his local community. There is a farm manager, girls that help prepare products and pack, and boys that help with the farm work.
Aaron and Rebecca are building their farm for their children. When they get older, they would love for their children to want to work on the farm and pass the reins to the next generation.
If you have any questions about how the farm is run, please let us know!
