Jonathan and Kate Parrott have been raising AHCA registered Highland cattle at their 130-acre Flat Rock Farm in Chesterfield, MA, for nearly 20 years. They track the passing years by naming each crop of calves with the same letter of the alphabet. They are currently thinking of “R” names for calves that should be hitting the ground any day.
Wanting a small beef operation but recognizing that they both have busy off-farm careers, “we chose Highlands because they are a resilient heritage breed that survive on poor forage in adverse conditions and require little aid calving. We mindfully chose a breed that is less demanding,” said Jonathan.
In keeping with a desire to be less intensive, Flat Rock Farm cattle are raised hormone-free, without unnecessary antibiotics. Notably, this breed’s shaggy double coat means they don’t need an insulating coat of fat, allowing their meat to be lean and well-marbled. This results in tender, tasty beef rich in iron and omega-3 acids. According to different studies, it is also likely that Highland cattle’s propensity to foraging vs. grazing further heightens the taste of the meat.
To best manage their fold (the term for a group of Highland cattle), Flat Rock Farm often collaborates with two nearby farms, Stonebridge and Bofat Hill Farms, also in Chesterfield.
“If we intend to keep a heifer, we need to separate her from our bull until she’s old enough to be bred – typically two years old. Having generous local farmers is key to our success,” said Jonathan.
Flat Rock Farm sells the vast majority of their grass-fed beef to friends and family. They also have standing orders from staff at JFK Middle School in Northampton, where Kate has taught seventh grade science for 20 years.
One of the Highlands with her calf at Flat Rock Farm in Chesterfield, MA. Photo courtesy of Flat Rock Farm
Jonathan wears many hats, having earned his Ph.D. at UMass Amherst before becoming a licensed forester and ISA-certified arborist at Northern Tree Service in Palmer, MA. While his primary job is director of safety, education and special projects, Dr. Parrott is also broadly involved with utility-scale green energy development, bringing significant solar, biofuel and storage projects to support a changing grid.
“One of the unusual characteristics of our farm is that we have chosen to be carbon neutral. This personal choice was achieved with both solar photovoltaics and hot water arrays in conjunction with an APS-compliant wood chip boiler,” explained Jonathan. He noted that all of their energy choices have been facilitated by grants and tax incentives.
He explained that burning wood is carbon neutral, pointing out that the biological decomposition of his chip fuel would release exactly the same carbon dioxide as its combustion. He added that allowing wood to rot wastes heat.
Flat Rock Farm also produces maple syrup. However, like some other producers in Western Massachusetts experiencing a short season, the Parrotts reported this to be a particularly bad year, producing well below their historical average. The farm once produced wildflower honey but stopped, largely due to colony collapse disorder.
Also in the past, Kate offered Flat Rock Farm Adventure Camp where kids could learn about farming and river ecology by exploring the Westfield River and visiting the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) State Forest. This year, she won’t be offering it, in part because their daughter, Sophie, now works off the farm.
This autumn, Sophie will be entering University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a freshman, majoring in environmental science and pre-law.
Jonathan has roots in southern Vermont, where his father, the late Roger Parrott, was a 30-year veteran teacher at the Putney School in Putney where he taught rural science and ecology.
What do the Parrotts like best about raising Highlands? “It is a measure of ‘agri-tainment,’ a connection to both seasonality and food production. I grew up with it, and it feels familiar. We wished to have a home that normalized food production,” Jonathan said.
For more information, visit Flat-Rock-Farm.com.
by Laura Rodley
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