24 Like Us on Facebook: BetterFarmingON Better Farming | January 2024 Jessica Martin is a dairy farmer and farm mom who is sharing her passion for the farm with her children and consumers. Margrove Farms, just outside of Elmira, is run by Jessica, her husband Ian, and her husband’s parents. Jessica is also raising her children, Brodie, almost three years, and Adam, 11 months, on the farm. The family milks around 115 cows twice a day in a 12-swing parlour. The cows are housed on a compost pack. They also cash crop, growing wheat, beans, corn, rye and alfalfa. “My roles are milking, calf care and wrangling the kids,” Jessica says. “Being a mom keeps me very busy and occupied. Besides farming, my mom life takes up every other minute.” As the farm continues to progress, Jessica says one of their goals is to start looking closer at producing beef from the farm. Jessica grew up rural but had no farm experience before she got married. “I had no dairy knowledge or experience at all before meeting my husband, but now I’ve been farming for seven years and he’s taught me everything I know,” Jessica explains. Jessica, Ian, Adam, and Brodie Martin. Jessica and family crop wheat, beans, corn, and alfalfa. Here, Bloomingdale Farms helps with harvest. Jessica Martin photo Jessica Martin photo Nutrient Loss LEARNING ON THE JOB ‘Just because you grew up rural, doesn’t mean you know how a farm operates.’ By Emily Croft UP CLOSE
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc0MDI3