BELDEN
Samuel Belden took up farming in Hatfield in 1661
The Belden Farm has been in the family for over 360 years. In the early 20th century Oscar and George Belden introduced onions to their crops, and in 1909 built Hatfield’s first concrete onion storage barn. By 1929 they had more than 200 acres in potatoes and onions and kept the largest flock of sheep in the eastern United States. The next generation, Luther and Clifford Belden, shared the farm for many years, adding horses and cattle, tobacco, cucumbers, and potatoes.
After 10 generations of being passed father to son, Luther's daughter Mary Louise Belden Williams was the first woman to inherit Belden Farm. She and her husband Gordon lived and worked on the land for 55 years before his passing in 2014. Darryl and Lucinda Williams now farm with their son, Jackson and his wife, Jill. Jackson is the 13th generation of the family to work the land. The style of farming that works for the Williams' has changed over the years to keep up with the latest innovations – like switching to no-till, installing a robotic milking system, and the compost/manure digester that produces electricity! 360+ years witnesses a lot of revolutions. |
DARRYL and LUCINDA WILLIAMS interviewed by Kathie Gow for a Hatfield Cultural Council grant on 5/13/2010.
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The best part of farming for me
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We are “rich poor”!
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