Starting in April we will return to being open every Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 3pm (closed Easter).
99 Bates Rock Rd Southbury, CT
99 Bates Rock Rd Southbury, CT
Poverty Farm as we purchased it in January 2020.
Guardians Farm has found its home in the lovely Town of Southbury in the rolling hills of Western Connecticut. Southbury has a rich farming history and we are excited to be a part of it during a time when many farms are closing. The farm was built in 1850 and once was comprised of almost 200 acres.
The Barn
Originally called Poverty Farm, the large barn shows remnants of its history as a dairy farm decades ago. One of the entrances to the barn has "1850 PF" stamped in the concrete. Two large hay lofts give a glimpse into the large operation this farm once was. Five large stalls now house our herd of Nigerian Dwarf and Lamancha goats. What was once the dairy parlor is now the home to our kidding stalls which we constructed with lumber from a mill in Harwinton, CT. With the expansion of our farm including Holsteins and Jersey cows the dairy parlor will be revived in 2021. The barn's concrete silo overlooks the property and gives the farm that quintessential old New England feel.
The Barn
Originally called Poverty Farm, the large barn shows remnants of its history as a dairy farm decades ago. One of the entrances to the barn has "1850 PF" stamped in the concrete. Two large hay lofts give a glimpse into the large operation this farm once was. Five large stalls now house our herd of Nigerian Dwarf and Lamancha goats. What was once the dairy parlor is now the home to our kidding stalls which we constructed with lumber from a mill in Harwinton, CT. With the expansion of our farm including Holsteins and Jersey cows the dairy parlor will be revived in 2021. The barn's concrete silo overlooks the property and gives the farm that quintessential old New England feel.
The Property
The concrete silo isn't the only thing overlooking the pasture. Red Shouldered Hawks, Red tailed Hawks, Barred Owls and several other species of raptors and smaller song birds fill the skies above the property. A small pond is home to several Mallards and attracts several different species of wildlife. What sounds like thousands of peepers breaks the silence of the night from dusk to dawn. Whitetail deer cruise the back section of the property and bed down there at night. Coyotes pass through occasionally and if they are lucky they make it through without Annie or Aslan spotting them.
The concrete silo isn't the only thing overlooking the pasture. Red Shouldered Hawks, Red tailed Hawks, Barred Owls and several other species of raptors and smaller song birds fill the skies above the property. A small pond is home to several Mallards and attracts several different species of wildlife. What sounds like thousands of peepers breaks the silence of the night from dusk to dawn. Whitetail deer cruise the back section of the property and bed down there at night. Coyotes pass through occasionally and if they are lucky they make it through without Annie or Aslan spotting them.
Ivy grazing in the goats paddock
The majority of the farm's property along Bates Rock Rd consists of several rolling pastures that we rotate our animals throughout to graze in the summer months. The rotation of the animals in the pastures ensures the health and vitality of the vegetation and provides the goats and cows with a very nutritous source of sustainable food. Decades old split rail fence and field fence line the property and was used to corral the multiple horses that were kept on the property in recent years. For our goats and cows with the help of our friends from Echo Farm we installed several hundred feet of woven wire fencing on round posts. The outside of the fencing has an electric wire to prevent the areas predators from making an attempt at entering the paddock.
Multiple large century old Maple trees tower high above the property and provide a much needed blanket of shade during the hot summer months. The size of these trees truly puts the age of the property into perspective. It's amazing to think of the times that they have lived through and the weather they have endured. These trees provide the resident hawks with the perfect vantage point to spot a field mouse or rabbit hiding in the tall grass. Our rooster can frequently be heard sounding the alarm that a hawk is in the area as they circle above.
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So who are we
Well we are David and Tamra and we started Guardians Farm back in 2014. Neither of us were raised on a farm or knew the first thing about farming or livestock but we both had a love for animals. As a kid Tamra brought home all sorts of animals from small frogs to a horse she found wandering. David grew up raising various lizards and snakes, worked at a pet shop for a few years in high school, volunteer at Mystic Aquarium and also worked as a Veterinary Technician for several years.
Tamra has been a police officer since 1999 and has been a K-9 handler for most of her career handling two different canine partners. David is a 22 year veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard, a police officer since 2004 and also a K-9 handler at his department.
Back in 2014 we started with a few chickens and two small bottle raised goats, Dixie and Savannah. Eventually we added their mom Serendipity and half sister Namaste to the family. Serendipity was in milk and we began making yogurt, cheese, lotion and soap. Over the years since then our herd of goats has grown and so has the rest of the farm and the business.
Well we are David and Tamra and we started Guardians Farm back in 2014. Neither of us were raised on a farm or knew the first thing about farming or livestock but we both had a love for animals. As a kid Tamra brought home all sorts of animals from small frogs to a horse she found wandering. David grew up raising various lizards and snakes, worked at a pet shop for a few years in high school, volunteer at Mystic Aquarium and also worked as a Veterinary Technician for several years.
Tamra has been a police officer since 1999 and has been a K-9 handler for most of her career handling two different canine partners. David is a 22 year veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard, a police officer since 2004 and also a K-9 handler at his department.
Back in 2014 we started with a few chickens and two small bottle raised goats, Dixie and Savannah. Eventually we added their mom Serendipity and half sister Namaste to the family. Serendipity was in milk and we began making yogurt, cheese, lotion and soap. Over the years since then our herd of goats has grown and so has the rest of the farm and the business.
Chase and Tamra
What's in a name
A guardian is a defender, a keeper and a protector. Both of us have full time careers as police officers and are fortunate to both also be K-9 handlers. We are both currently working our second police canines, but our first partners have left a huge impression. Tamra's first police dog Chase was a one of a kind dog. Their bond was unbreakable, Chase would've laid down his life for her. In 2013 Chase retired and lived out his life at home with us. In 2014, shortly after we started farming, Chase passed away. There is a poem called "Guardians of the night" that talks about the bond between handler and K-9. We had named our farm Guardians Farm in honor of Chase and David's first police dog Anouke. Anouke is a caring, yet rough and tough female police dog. From the beginning Anouke was always great around the goats. Now that she is retired she watches over them during her second career as a farm dog. Chase and Anouke have passed the torch to our current partners.
A guardian is a defender, a keeper and a protector. Both of us have full time careers as police officers and are fortunate to both also be K-9 handlers. We are both currently working our second police canines, but our first partners have left a huge impression. Tamra's first police dog Chase was a one of a kind dog. Their bond was unbreakable, Chase would've laid down his life for her. In 2013 Chase retired and lived out his life at home with us. In 2014, shortly after we started farming, Chase passed away. There is a poem called "Guardians of the night" that talks about the bond between handler and K-9. We had named our farm Guardians Farm in honor of Chase and David's first police dog Anouke. Anouke is a caring, yet rough and tough female police dog. From the beginning Anouke was always great around the goats. Now that she is retired she watches over them during her second career as a farm dog. Chase and Anouke have passed the torch to our current partners.
Anouke socializing the new kids
Guardians Of The Night
Trust in me my friend for I am your comrade. I will protect you with my last breath when all others have left you and the loneliness of the night closes in, I will be at your side.
Together we will conquer all obstacles, and search out those who might wish harm to others. All I ask of you is compassion, The caring touch of your hands. It is for you that I will unselfishly give my life and spend my nights unrested.
Although our days together may be marked by the passing of the seasons know that each day at your side is my reward.
My days are measured by The coming and going of your footsteps. I anticipate them at every opening of the door. You are the voice of caring when I am ill. The voice of authority when I've done wrong.
Do not chastise me unduly For I am your right arm, The sword at your side. I attempt to do only what you bid of me. I seek only to please you and remain in your favor.
Together you and I shall experience A bond only others like us will understand When outsiders see us together Their envy will be measured by their disdain.
I will quietly listen to you And pass no judgment, Nor will your spoken words be repeated I will remain ever silent, Ever vigilant, ever loyal. And when our time together is done And you move on in the world Remember me with kind thoughts and tales, For a time we were unbeatable, Nothing passed among us undetected.
If we should meet again on another street I will gladly take up your fight, I am a Police Working Dog and together We are guardians of the night.
Trust in me my friend for I am your comrade. I will protect you with my last breath when all others have left you and the loneliness of the night closes in, I will be at your side.
Together we will conquer all obstacles, and search out those who might wish harm to others. All I ask of you is compassion, The caring touch of your hands. It is for you that I will unselfishly give my life and spend my nights unrested.
Although our days together may be marked by the passing of the seasons know that each day at your side is my reward.
My days are measured by The coming and going of your footsteps. I anticipate them at every opening of the door. You are the voice of caring when I am ill. The voice of authority when I've done wrong.
Do not chastise me unduly For I am your right arm, The sword at your side. I attempt to do only what you bid of me. I seek only to please you and remain in your favor.
Together you and I shall experience A bond only others like us will understand When outsiders see us together Their envy will be measured by their disdain.
I will quietly listen to you And pass no judgment, Nor will your spoken words be repeated I will remain ever silent, Ever vigilant, ever loyal. And when our time together is done And you move on in the world Remember me with kind thoughts and tales, For a time we were unbeatable, Nothing passed among us undetected.
If we should meet again on another street I will gladly take up your fight, I am a Police Working Dog and together We are guardians of the night.
Our current Guardians
Anouke
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Roxie
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Kane
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