THE FARM
It all starts here.
A Little History
We are a family owned and operated farm, started by our ancestors in 1904. They came to Hadley for its rich soil on the Connecticut River to start a produce farm and raise a small head of cattle. Milk was brought by horse and wagon to the local train station to be delivered to the dairy. The next two generations of the family ran the farm but began concentrating on crops such as tobacco, onions and potatoes. In 1980, John Kokoski, the fourth generation took over the reins of the farm from his father and started establishing his registered Jersey herd.
By 1995, milk was bottled in glass and sold out of a small store in the old milk room of the barn. Neighbors loved the idea of local, fresh milk in glass returnable bottles and soon the local restaurant scene wanted their hands on this rich, delicious milk. Plastic bottles were then introduced to meet wholesale demands and in 2001, a processing and bottling plant was built on the farm. The herd size continued to grow throughout the years, and a new free stall barn was built to accommodate the demand.
THE FARM TODAY
Today, Mapleline Farm's milk can be found throughout Massachusetts. The herd has been recognized nationally for type and production and we are active members of the American Jersey Cattle Association and local farm associations. Although the farm has been experiencing growth over the past 20 years, we still remain committed to producing and maintaining a viable Jersey herd, preserving the farm land for our future generations and building a sustainable business model. Our family shares the same concerns that yours does about knowing the origins of your food, and supporting local agriculture and locally owned businesses.
Our Commitment to Sustainability
We are deeply committed to the environment and have taken numerous steps over the years to become more energy efficient and operate all aspects of the farm in an eco-friendly way. One of the most obvious “green things” we do is bottle our milk in glass. All of our re-usable glass bottles are washed on-site in our processing plant. The waste water from our bottle washer (grey water) is sent over to our manure slurry storage. Here the water is mixed with manure from the barns and provides a healthy balance of nutrients for natural field fertilization.
We also produce about 150kW of solar power, with panels placed only on rooftop real estate, not to compromise our pastures and crop fields. Other measures on-going are climate-smart agriculture practices to conserve and protect our farm’s most important natural resource, our land.
