The Night Pasture is a 33-acre grazing pasture on North Road. The land is currently leased to Round Table Farm exclusively for their use to graze their goat flock and milking cows.
There are no public walking trails and hunting is discouraged because of the livestock present.
The hedgerows provide cover and food for many migratory and resident birds. The eastern boundary runs along Danforth Brook and its associated wetlands. Waterfowl and shorebirds can be found during the warmer months.
Here is the conservation story of the Night Pasture, donated to EQLT in 2021:
Conservation of the Night Pasture
When Ray was a youngster, and for 3 generations before, his family’s dairy herd would spend the summer nights grazing these 33 acres, just across from the barn. In recent years, the land was the first spring pasture for the Robinson’s mixed herd of Normande, Jersey and Holsteins cows. Pam and Ray fondly recollect their cows’ joyful reaction to the first day out on pasture in the spring, “kicking up their heels and dashing toward the fresh grass” after spending the long winter in the barnyard.
Ray and Pam recently retired from farming. They are the last of four generations of Robinsons to farm the land, originally purchasing the farm in 1892. As they transition the core part of the farm letting other farmers try their hand at building their own agricultural business, it’s with their donation of the Night Pasture to the East Quabbin Land Trust that Pam and Ray can assure that farming can continue on at least a portion of the original farm. “It feels good to see it preserved,” stated Ray Robinson.
Local wildlife benefit as well. Last year Ray saw a Moose walking through the fields. Coyotes are drawn by the many rabbits using the stone walls and multiflora rose bushes for cover. Bears have been known to claw their way into a round bale of hay. Just down slope is the Danforth Brook, with sections ponded with active beaver dams. During mating season, the spring peepers make so much noise it’s hard to have a conversation. Plus, the birds love the area.
The Robinsons transitioned from conventional milk production to organic raw milk & cheese in 2006. At the time, one recommendation was to expand their herd and stick with conventional milk. They chose to downsize and transition. Producing 100 percent grass fed and certified organic milk was a better for the cows and made a higher quality, value added product. Pam and Ray’s lifestyle was also improved with more time spent rotating cows on pasture instead of on the tractor, using diesel fuel, to produce corn silage for feed. They had control over their prices too. Ray’s advice for farmers today is to “see the big picture, have a long view and be flexible enough to think outside the box. That’s hard to do when you’re in the daily grind, but is important.” That’s good advice for us all.
With cows on 100 percent grass the raw milk & cheese produced reflected the local flora or terrior of the pasture. This was a key part of why the Robinson’s Farm cheeses won numerous awards over the years. That means that all their fields, including the Night Pasture, were managed with no herbicides or pesticides, among other qualifications. The rotational grazing pattern let the cows keep the multiflora rose and other woody plant growth in check. It’ll be important to get animals back into the Night Pasture in 2022 to continue that work. The East Quabbin Land Trust stewardship committee started discussions with local farmers about grazing and haying the land next growing season.
Ray shared that “there was a lot of emotion going into the decision to sell the farm, but being able to preserve a part of the land helps. It’s a good thing.”
We appreciate Ray and Pam’s care for the land and their generous gift. The Robinson family and the folks that came before all made decisions that allowed the land to grow good food and stay healthy. The East Quabbin Land Trust looks forward to continuing that tradition, which might include a walking trail, grazing animals and wildlife monitoring. There’s also an old cellar hole with historic stone work to explore and interpret. We will start by getting to know the land. And hope that when the Robinson’s are visiting in Hardwick, they will walk the land appreciating how the future farmer’s and the East Quabbin Land Trust are keeping it conserved.
