Peter Melnik ’87 is the fourth generation of his family to carry on the legacy of Bar-Way Farm here in Deerfield, Massachusetts. While the local farm has been around for decades, Mr. Melnik has recently implemented changes to make the dairy farm more sustainable.
Bar-Way Farms is located at the very southern end of the South Meadows, less than two miles from the Deerfield Academy campus. Mr. Melnik said that the Deerfield River Valley “has some of the best soil in the world, and so being able to grow crops in the best soil has its advantages,” which is one of the reasons why he finds his farm special.
Another reason the farm means so much to Mr. Melnik is due to his familial history. His great-grandfather started a farm in East Deerfield on the opposite side of the Pocumtuck Mountain Range after immigrating from Ukraine in 1919. Initially, the family grew crops such as tobacco, onions, and cucumbers and raised EMI TAKEGAMI Associate Editor a few cows on the farm. Since then, the farm has been passed down from father to son through several generations. While the original farm began with twenty acres, Mr. Melnik and his team now maintain 750 acres, 700 of which are for the dairy cows that are all handled by four family members and four employees.
When responsibility for the farm fell into the hands of Mr. Melnik’s grandfather, he decided to make the change to focus more on dairy cows. Mr. Melnik and his father took on the task and continued his wishes of a growing dairy farm. Mr. Melnik said, “I always wanted to [take over the farm],” and recalled his own experience attending the Academy when he would wake up before classes to work with his father on the farm. He said the farm has “[taken] on a life of its own” due to its longstanding family history and because “everyone that is part of the farm adds a little bit to it.” Mr. Melnik takes special pride in the changes he made to benefit both the farm and the environment. Majoring in agricultural economics at the University of Vermont in the 1990s, he developed an interest in sustainable farming. He became an early adopter of the methane digester, a device that converts cow manure into electricity. Mr. Melnik said that his main reason for implementing this technology was to make the most of the resources that they have. In addition, because this project was one of the first of its kind in Massachusetts, Mr. Melnik contributed to creating the relevant rules and regulations for the state.
Another way that Bar-Way Farms promotes sustainability is through its focus on crop rotations, which keeps the soil in good health by keeping something growing all year. They also collaborate with other farmers in order to focus on crop rotation. In addition, Bar-Way Farms employs no-till farming, which also helps maintain soil health.
Mr. Melnik said, “The best thing about the job is twofold. One is that, every day, even though we do the same thing—milk cows, feed cows, grow corn—every day has different challenges.” He listed constant changes in weather, even the COVID-19 pandemic as some of the factors that make every day unique.
The second thing he loves about his job is “the sense of accomplishment.” He said that after completing all his chores, “you can look back and you have that satisfaction of seeing the work that you’ve done. Or you can see a cow and remember it as a little calf.”
As of now, Mr. Melnik’s primary goal is to transition the farm to the hands of his eldest son, Henry Melnik, because he has fulfilled most of his own goals for the farm. He is excited for his son to take the reigns and to see what the future may hold for Bar-Way Farms.