For the love of the land - Families maintain farming tradition

 by Sarah Barr

Staff Writer

Photos - submitted

For generations, three local family farms have brought new, deep-seated meaning to the phrase “all in a day’s work.”

Rocky Hill started as an agricultural community dating back to the first settlers in 1650. That tradition continues today at Gilbert Farm, Hayes Farm and Fair Market Growers.

Lisa Gilbert of Gilbert Farm “first got her hands dirty” in 1977, just as her great-great grandfather Elisha Gilbert did in 1845.

Lisa Gilbert admired her father’s work ethic, as is evident in this photo.

“Our family had always been a dairy farm. My grandfather was 55 when he passed away. My father got pulled out of school and was told you have to run the farm. No choice,” she recalled.

That was 1945. Leland Gilbert was 15 years old.

“I was extremely close to my father,” Gilbert added. “I worked side by side with him my whole life. I watched that man struggle and persevere his whole life. Such strong character. I respected him a whole lot. I wanted to grow up and be just like him.”

Gilbert Farms focuses on flowers, a lifelong passion of Lisa Gilbert.

She did, albeit the dairy farm became a thriving flower and vegetable market and non-GMO grower.

“I went to Rocky Hill High School, took the botany course, and loved working in the greenhouse and said I like this,” she said.

Upon graduation from the University of Connecticut, she took over the business. That was in 1993, seven years after her father finally got his high school diploma.

Hayes Farm dates from 1868 when Francis (Fran) and John Whelan’s family came to town from County Cork, Ireland. They bought the land before the road was even named, so the street sign was an eventual no-brainer.

It, too, started out as a dairy farm, until 1976 when they just raised the cows and sold them to dairy farmers.

Being in nature is one of the blessings of working at Hayes Farm.

"We were spending more money to produce the milk than we were making selling it,” said Fran, a retired state trooper.

That lasted until 2015 when the brothers bought the farm outright and switched gears.

“We gravitated into buying Black Angus. You’re able to control what you sell the meat for,” he said.

The brothers started with four and now have more than 80 cattle. In 2017, they added a farm market that’s open basically from May Day to Christmas Day where they sell their own meat, eggs and seasonal vegetables.

John Whelan and Fran Whelan of Hayes Farm, Lisa Gilbert of Gilbert Farm and Billy Collins of Fair Weather Growers continue the legacy of family farming.

Fair Weather Growers is owned and operated by the Collins family. Billy Collins also comes from a long lineage of farming and his acreage also had to change with the times.

“My grandfather operated a small dairy barn right on the property, delivering milk throughout the local community, and raised nursery plants. In the late 1960s the farm transitioned into growing string beans,” he said.

Billy Collins of Fair Weather Growers and his sons Shaun and Andrew at a Hartford County 4-H Fair in 2024. The goal is to keep farming in the family.

“By the time I was born in 1975 string beans had become a major part of the operation. Over the years the farm has continued to evolve, building on those roots to become what it is today,” Collins added.

Today, diversification is essential.

“Having over 200 varieties of vegetables gives us stability. If one crop doesn’t perform well, others can help make up for it,” he said.

Diversification also plays a role in how he serves his customers. There’s the farm market, the community supported agriculture program and wholesale accounts.

“It’s not just about growing food anymore it’s about creating an experience and building relationships with the community.”

Farming is a back-breaking business. Not only are there physical demands but financial ones as well. Then there are those intangibles that are totally out of your control, like the weather.

“It’s been atrocious,” Gilbert said.

Billy Collins in the bean fields in 2002 with his parents Chris and Mary

“Thirty inches of rain in 2021, drought in 2022. In 2023, the Connecticut River flooded; ’24, a hot, wet summer; 2025 was a so-so year. We’re strongly overdue for a great 2026.”

She also emphasized increased costs.

“Between diesel fuel and fertilizer, negative gross margins are expected this year.”

At Hayes Farms, the issue is the cost of doing business.

“Labor and the expense of everything you need to purchase to run your operation,” Whelan said. “Labor to help work on the farm: the field work, the animals and the retail shop. Sometimes it’s a challenge to find the help. And the labor to help work on the machinery. The price per hour is so extreme.”

Collins has a different take at Fair Weather Growers. It’s about working together as a family.

“With that comes a lot of ideas, opinions and different ways of doing things. What we’ve found works best is for everyone to have their own area of responsibility,” he said.

He used the example of when he worked alongside his parents. His mother handled the farm market while he and his father focused on raising crops, equipment and maintenance. Father and son would further divide their responsibilities by taking a different area of the farm and then, after a few years, switch.

“That allowed me to learn every aspect of the operation over time,” he added.

Despite some tough times, there are good days, too. Gilbert talked about the sun shining and being out in nature.

“I love being out in the field on the tractor, in the field house, and stand back and say ‘wow, I did that.’ It’s all about hanging on to the family heritage. The farm means a lot to me. It meant a lot to my dad.”

Whelan also taps into nature and watching things grow.

“Seeing the wildlife in our fields. It’s a joy and pleasure being outdoors, seeing what nature gives and what you get in return. It’s fun watching life from a little chick or calf, so rewarding to watch the stages of life.”

As for Collins, beyond healthy crops, it’s the quiet moments.

“Evenings are my favorite, around 7 p.m., when I’m out in the field by myself. There are no vendors calling, no employees to manage. Just me, the tractor, the land and nature. It’s peaceful. It gives me time to think, reflect and appreciate the life I’ve built. Those moments mean a lot.”

The future for these farmers is uncertain, yet hopeful.

Gilbert does not have children to pass on the farm. Right now, she’s focused on bringing the business to its fullest potential and maybe inspire someone to purchase it and keep it going. Just like that high school student who was inspired by a botany class.

“That kid would be proud of me, most certainly. And I’d say to her, tougher than you thought, but you’re doing OK.”

For Whelan, the future is about evolution.

“I have a daughter who is interested in the greenhouse and the plants. My brother has a daughter who works with the cattle. We hope [the farm] stays in the family,” he said.

“It might not be what we do. Maybe it will change to be more vegetables. We’re known for meat, but my brother and I changed it from a dairy farm. You have to adapt.”

Collins sees Fair Weather Growers continuing to grow with the next generation, carrying on with new ideas of their own.

“The future of the farm is about balancing tradition with new ideas and holding onto the values we were built on, while continuing to adapt and grow for the years ahead,” he said.

All of them agree that they can’t survive without a supportive community and they are grateful for their customers. RHL

For more information go to gilbertfarm.com, market@fairweathergrowers.com or #hayesfarm1868 on Facebook and Instagram.