Meet Your Farmers

What started with only 25 taps and daily bag collection of sap in the maple syrup business has grown over time for the Unick family in South Windham. Joshua Unick, head sugarmaker at Hens on the Hill Farm in South Windham, is from a first-generation family farm founded in 2023. The farm originally cared for some chickens and sold the eggs to friends and neighbors.

As maple season is coming to a close, local farmers are tapping into trees to gather as much maple syrup as they can. While Mother Nature wasn’t quite nice by dumping several inches of snow this year, farmer Chris Varga of Varga Family Farm said the weather played a big part in a great maple season.

Along Crane Hill Road, a family works together to maintain the produce they grow. Mike Bergeron of Riverview Farm in Mansfield has been farming since he was a kid. Bergeron would work for a farmer until he was 24, and he would start growing on the property where he is today, at 205 Crane Hill Road.

Out in the town of Brooklyn is a farmer with a vested interest in agriculture, with his land of baby chicks, chickens, pigs and several other animals. Dillon Daigle, who owns and operates Daigle Farm with his fiancée, Cassidy Ball, grew up on the land that he has slowly turned into the production it is today.

Located in Canterbury, CT, Russo's Roots is a certified organic farm growing a wide variety of vegetables and uncommon items, such as ginger and turmeric.

Tucked away in Lebanon is a family farm that has been in existence for over three decades. What started as a high school romance for Mark and Angel Evans blossomed into a family farm with over 90 cows to care for.

Dorfer sells veggies to local schools to help kids develop a passion for what they eat and encourage them to try new things. Through her CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), Dorfer provides for over 100 shares to families and community members who support her business each year.

Along Wormwood Hill Road is a farmer whose passion for beekeeping started as a teenager in high school. Over 25 years later, Shooks is still in the beekeeping business and is still passionate about i

For six generations, the Green family has owned and operated Spring Brook Farm in Storrs. The farm is run by Karen Green and her two sons, Quinn and Olin Green. The farm, located on Stafford Road, is home to a few hundred acres of land and several different types of livestock.

At Graywall Farms in Lebanon is a cheesemaker working on the land her grandfather and father worked hard to maintain. Willow Chesmer, who has been making cheese for a few years, said her family didn’t expect her to continue the family’s farm legacy at first.

Nestled into the heart of Chaplin is a beekeeper whose motto is, “If you have the money, he has the honey.” Resident Peter Polomski has been involved in beekeeping for several years.

Off Route 66 in Columbia is a farm home to several animals, including cows, chickens, goats, pigs and even turkeys. Husband and wife Tom and Kyla Satkowski are first-generation farmers and share some of the responsibilities with their 15-year-old daughter, Ally, and their 12-year-old son, TJ, with the hope of them taking over in the future.

Nestled back in the land of Storrs is a farm run by a husband and wife team. Together, the couple manages 43 acres of land, and it’s no surprise that their passion for agriculture stems from the fact they both grew up on farms.

When I first met Anna Terwilleger of Eagle Heights Farm, I immediately knew she had chosen the right direction for her life—farming. There was something in the way she moved across the land, in the easy familiarity of her gestures, that spoke of a deep connection with the earth.

Located in Putnam, CT, Assawaga Farm is a certified organic farm growing vegetables, herbs, flowers, and fruits with an emphasis on Japanese varieties.

Kelley and Brian, the founders of Forest Mill Farm, came to see maple syrup as a purpose for the 40 acres of woodland they rescued from development in Willington, Connecticut. Rooted in childhood wonder, a love for the outdoors, and a desire to preserve land, their story marries history and conservation.

Run by Spencer and Jackie, the Willow Valley Farm’s heart remains intact even as its focus shifts to organic vegetables and heritage grains. Inspired by Spencer’s mother’s vision, the farm today is grounded in the principles of sustainability and care. “Clean food, clean water, vibrant soil life, and a sustainable way of living,” is their guiding philosophy.

Cori's known as a baker to many, but her real love and passion? Raising goats on her little farm in Columbia. Goats are goofy.  They...

Meet your new farmers on the block in Lebanon. They traded skyscrapers for tomato trellises and they are not looking back. Turning onto...

People love being part of the Cloverleigh Farm CSA, and if you get to know the woman behind it, you'll start to understand why. I have...