They are part of a dying breed.
Farms are being displaced by development in parts of Maryland, but the Umbarger family has been able to keep an 18th-century farm.
The Woolsey Farm in Harford County has been a diary farm and livestock farm. But most recently it has been a farm that produces fresh meat, eggs and lamb.
And it?s growing, said Cindi Umbarger, who with her husband, Woolsey, and in-laws work on the family farm.
The Umbargers hired J & B Contracting, an Amish work crew from Lancaster, Pa., to build a new barn to house hay and hay-making equipment for their farm animals. The animals will stay in the existing barn.
J & B Contracting is a father and son company.
Cindi Umbarger said the Amish crew was extraordinary in its work ethic and should finish thisweek.
“They would work in two crews,” Umbarger said.
“They work the entire time. One crew would take a break while the other crew worked. When they are done, they clean up all their tools and the place is spotless.”
She said the crew was working on her farm when news broke about the deadly rampage and shooting at an Amish school.
Umbarger printed out the stories that listed the names of the children.
“The father stated: ?We always hear about it happening to the outside world. This proves that we are not any different than anybody else,? ” Umbarger said.
She said that Woolsey Farm has grown with the help a Harford County grant allowing them to buy an 18-foot refrigerated truck to store vacuum-sealed meat.
They sell the meat at Waverly Farm Market in Baltimore and send out e-mails to customers about upcoming specials.
Woolsey Farm grows its own wheat and grain for its livestock feed. No hormones or antibiotics are used.
The family hopes to preserve the farm and has received historic preservation status for 160 acres.
But Umbarger said farms are being sold to developers in Harford County and it could get worse now that more families are looking to move to the area as part of growth at the U.S. Army?s Aberdeen Proving Ground.
More information
» Woolsey Farm
630 Glenville Road
Churchville, MD 21028
410-734-0482
