Save Our Farm

Hello, My Name is George Noble; I have been farming all my life here in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. The farm has been a part of the Pittsfield community for over 100 years; starting as a dairy farm, we now sell seasonal vegetables, eggs, and food crops for animals, including field corn and hay. Lately, tough times have fallen on the farm. The cost of fuel for my tractors and trucks has gone sky-high. Fertilizer prices have followed. The last three summers weather has been against farms everywhere. In 2019, there was a terrible drought. 2020 bought overwhelming amounts of rain and yet another year in 2022 of extreme drought conditions. Crop production for the last three seasons was drastically affected. These conditions caused significant losses to our income, causing bills to mount up the previous three years and making what little income we make harder to stretch and pay bills. We are looking at our third year of little to no profitable income. We are searching for a way to make ends meet. We need help to keep our heads above water. We want to diversify, but that also takes money. We need to pay for the diesel for tractors used this summer. Farming crops is getting more expensive; higher costs are cutting into profit, like paying for help to deliver hay. Everyday expenses are also affected by rising gas prices, electric and heating fuel.

Crop production has dwindled due to weather conditions. Some of our outstanding bills include the electric bill in our repair shop, a business loan and a mortgage that cannot be paid. Things like liability insurance, Business owner's insurance coverage on vehicles used on the road travel from field to field and crop deliveries. It is getting harder to pay for farm help which is vital to running the farm. With more funds, we can revitalize our farm and look to a brighter future as the years go by. Donations are coming slowly and every bit helps. We have posted more photos. The hay field behind our house is a hay lot that has not produced any hay this year due to the extreme drought; the corn field you see is full of dried corn stalks. This was our sweet corn crop. Little to no corn ripened this year. Both fields were supposed to guarantee money to get us through the winter months. Things are not looking good,