Barton Farms
by Nicole Zappone @TheChronicleCT
Out in the Town of Scotland is a small farm run by a husband and wife team, along with their beloved cats, Riley and Tanner. Barton Farms, which is run by Julie and Todd Barton, is located along Rt. 14 on Huntington Road. The farm sells a variety of items like fresh vegetables, herbs, cut flowers and eggs. “We started our farm in 2011, so this is our 16th year,” Julie Barton said. “We lived in Hampton and we were renting property for the farm, so we weren’t even living on the farm.” The couple then bought the property in Scotland in 2019 so they could live and farm on the same land. “We have a field in the back, so we have a short commute,” Barton said.
Primarily, the pair started with growing vegetables, but they also raise some meat chickens, some eggs and duck eggs. “Right now, our ducks are mostly males, so not many eggs,” Barton said.
With strawberry season, the couple ran out fast this year. The strawberries were being grown in a greenhouse, as that is a low spot for them. “We lost our entire field on May 18, 2023 with a 28-degree freeze,” Barton said. “We just can’t take the chance anymore, so we grow them inside, which opens up new problems. That’s why our strawberries were so early.”
Strawberry season is typically from early June through early July.
Julie said neither of them grew up on farms or had families in the business. “I think we farm because we love it, first of all,” Todd Barton said. “It gives us independence and every day is a challenge.” Julie said they do what it takes to pay the bills and the farm is a full-time job for them. “It’s a lot of work, but we love it,” Todd said. “People say, ‘What’s your hobby.’ There’s no time for a hobby as this is what we do.” During the summer, they work anywhere from 70 to 100 hours a week.
“We’ve been together for 22 years, and we’ve never flown together,” Julie said. “We’ve never even flown separately as long as we’ve been together.” Todd added they don’t go on vacation because they enjoy being on the farm and that their vacation is going through their backyard.n“It’s a good life, as long as you are not looking to be rich,” Todd said. “I think what we do, we almost 100% eat off the farm.”
The couple raises and sells meat chickens, and around Thanksgiving, they raise turkeys. “We raise our own food and our food bill is just about zero,” Todd said. “We’ve learned a lot about what’s commercially processed food and it’s concerning.”
For education, Todd attended the University of Connecticut and studied horticulture. Although Julie has no formal training, she has worked as a certified veterinary technician.
“He actually takes care of the animals for the most part and I grow the vegetables,” Julie said. “We sort of switched roles, which is weird.”
On the farm, their cats, Riley and Tanner, can be seen roaming the property and helping out.
Riley helps in the farmstand and greets the customers who come to visit. “We have quite a few cats and they all have jobs,” Todd said. “They really do. Between protecting the plants from the mice and whatever, our farm cats are super important to us.” During the night, the cats are taken inside to protect them. “We take really good care of them and they all locked up at night,” Julie said. “We like them safe and protect them. They mean a lot to us.”
The pair does one Farmers Market on Saturdays up in Putnam. Everything else is done at their farm stand on the property.
Barton Farms is located at 35 Huntington Road in Scotland. For more information, call 860-304-5046.
