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The land had been in cultivation before Walter Lesure acquired it, probably from before the incorporation of Ashfield
in 1760s. Walter Lesure turned the farm over to Faye's grandfather, Walter Whitney Sr. in the early 1900s. The farm was primarily
a dairy operation until her grandfather retired in the 1960s. Though silage corn has not been raised here in quite a few years,
the farm has never gone out of production of hay, mostly for the sake of Faye's Morgan horses in the early years
of her ownership and since 1993 the fields have also supported our flock of Shetland sheep.
Joining Faye in the operation is her husband Phil Lussier who is a life-long Mass. resident who grew up on
the North and South Shores, attended high school in the Berkshires and graduated from UMass, Amherst. He was not a farm boy
and still has a lot of catching up to do.
When not farming, Phil is a teacher at Mohawk Trail Regional High School and Faye is the secretary for the North American
Sheltland Sheepbreeders Association and a writer in search of a suitable publisher for her work now that the West County
News has closed its doors.
When you visit our sheep pages you will notice that most of our sheep have two names. The first name is their registered
name (North American Shetland Sheepbreeders Association registry) and are the names of investment firms. Our reasoning
is that instead of investing our money in stocks, etc. we've invested in sheep (and at the present moment that looks like
the better investment). The second name, in parentheses, is the "barn" name.
The reward(s) of farming
Share in them when you buy Whitney Acres products.
Come for a visit. Contact us about our fleeces, roving, yarn and knit goods.
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Get involved!
Farming in this day and age in Massachusetts is a challenge, to say the
least. Lateral thinking is required to meet the challenges facing the operation. Challenges like: finding markets for the
farm products, maintaining liquidity in the farm accounts and staying ahead of new situations instead of just waiting
and then reacting to them.
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What we sell.
Shetland sheep--
Registered rams and ewes and wethers
Fleece--
Colors: black, white, shades of grey, brown
Roving and yarn --
undyed, all natural colors
Knitted items --
hats, mittens, socks, sweaters
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