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Saturday, January 29, 2011 is the opening day for Howell Living History Farm in 2011. Visitors can join Howell Farm's farmers in the annual "Ice Harvest" using 1900 tools and methods. The animals are anxious for visitors and will enjoy your attention as well. So bring your warm boots and gloves, and help Howell Farm begin another year of hands on, old-fashioned farming fun! Click here for more information.]]>
In this sugar bush the sugar maple trees grow along the steep banks of a stream and the incline of Baldpate Mountain. The sap flows through the rubber hose which connect the many trees, and by gravity and suction then empties into a large tank for easy collection. This modern method will be contrasted by Howell Farm's living history method. In February and March, schoolchildren and the visiting public will be invited to help the farmers as they hand drill a taphole and hang tin buckets on each tree. Collected sap will be boiled down over a wood fire and turned into syrup.
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Howell Farm carpenter Ian Ferry began touching up the ox barn on Wednesday, December 29. Corner boards were removed and edges were resealed. The two oxen Jake and Chris will appreciate a more water tight dwelling that will keep the precious store of loose hay in the loft dry and safe.]]>
During the winter months, grass and forage is at a premium. Howell Farm's grazing animals are let out every day to fatten up for winter wherever grass is available. Daisy, Howell Farm's milking cow, has been placed in the Stony Field tethered to a stake and moved to different locations each day while her rambunctious foster calf Red roams nearby. The senior horses--Blaze, Barney, and Mac--have been let to free range on the north crop fields where the sheep have been given pasture as well. At night, the animals are bedded down with a thick layer of straw and Red the calf is brought into his cozy box stall. 
A farmer receives attention from Red the calf.Since Red is not restrained during the day, he often causes some difficulty for the farmers who try to lead him into the barn in the evening. He runs around playfully and stubbornly refuses to go into the barn. After a while, he trots into his stall, plops down in the straw and soon is fast asleep.]]>
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Blaze and Martin Flory leave West Wing
Howell Farm's senior horse moved up in the horse world. A retired horse for five years, Blaze remains a Howell Farm icon. On Friday, August 27 Rob Flory and his son Martin led 32 year old Blaze out of his stall from the West Wing of the barn where Blaze has been an occupant since he arrived at the farm around 25 years ago. The West Wing is awaiting restoration and has been showing its age, just like Blaze.
Blaze enters East WingMartin led Blaze out of one end of the barn and into the other side to a brand new box stall that farmer and carpenter Ian Ferry has been working on since the beginning of this year.
Blaze showed his approval and pleasure with the spacious new box stall and will continue to spend his days at Howell Farm in the luxurious box suite next to Daisy the cow's stall.
Four little piglets came home to Howell Farm on Wednesday, August 25, 2010. Farmer Jim McDonough, who specializes in pig care at Howell Farm, picked up the piglets Wednesday morning and arrived at Howell Farm at 10:00 a.m. The pigs are friendly and curious but very shy. Already this morning they have been viewed by many visitors and are quickly adjusting to the lime light.
The piglets are a cross between a landracer and a duroc. As weaned piglets they are not nursing from their mother and will be fed by Howell Farm's farmers with bread and milk until they can handle corn feed and vegetable/fruit scraps.
Howell Farm's pond in April, 2010
Howell Farm's pond August, 2010Howell Farm took advantage of the low pond waters to dredge its spring fed pond. Several inches of muck and scum were scraped from the bottom in order to create healthier and deeper water. This will allow pond life a friendlier habitat and hopefully improve the ice formation during the winter so that Howell Farm can harvest the ice.
Great Blue Herons like the one above are among the many wildlife that make Howell Farm's pond their home. Fish, frogs, ducks, turtles, and of course Howell Farm's Toulouse geese also enjoy the pond.
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Howell Farm has long awaited the arrival of its milk cow. Daisy, a three year old Jersey cow who spent her first two years at Howell Farm, finally arrived Wednesday, July 28, 2010.
Also with Daisy are two adorable bull calves. These calves are not Daisy's but are Holsteins being fostered by her. The bulls will only be at Howell Farm for a short time, once Daisy has weaned them they will return to the dairy farm where they were born.
Daisy is a milking cow and has already given birth to two calves of her own. However, at this time Howell Farm will not be milking her for human use; Daisy's milk will be solely used for nursing calves. "We are working on our milking technique," farmer Rob Flory states, "and hope to one day have public milking demonstrations."
To see video of the new arrivals, click here: "Daisy The Cow & Calves"
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Eric Houghton,Tim Ferry and Jayme Ferry survey maze points.Howell Farm's annual corn maze has been cut into shape. This year's design reflects the farm's soon to be most recent addition, a milk cow! The maze was cleverly patterned by artist Mary Watson and then transcribed into a maze map complete with sattelite data points by maze technician Matt Miller.
The maze cut was scheduled for July, 24. Typically the maze cut happens to fall on the hottest and most humid day of the year. This year was no exception, with a heat index of 104 degrees and 60% humidity, volunteers and staff in the sunny maze field showed their dedication for the longest running corn maze in New Jersey.
How do they make the cut?
Surveyors' flags and baling twine mark pathways.The cutting of the maze began a few days before when surveyors Tim Ferry and Eric Houghton sighted 200 of the 767 points that mark each bend and turn of the maze.
Volunteer Colleen Ferry uproots corn.The remaining points were mapped on Saturday, beginning at 6:00a.m. as volunteers, staff, and several of Howell Farm's trustees removed corn from the marked paths by hoes and hand pulling.
Howell Farm staff Matt Schofield and volunteer Lisa Schofield read map.Surveyors' flags and twine were laid down by mapholders to clearly define pathways.