Home Care In Cochranville, PA

Succession Fermentory is a brand new mixed-culture brewery set to open this fall in Cochranville, PA. The brewery is located at 432 Leaman Road on Stella Lou Farm.

The new brewery will hold its Grand Opening on October 8th from 2:00 – 6:00 PM at the farm, and tickets are required to attend. Tickets will include ten (5oz) samples, a tasting glass, a personal pizza, and snacks.

Succession Fermentory was licensed back in June but has been waiting on equipment to be installed and final approvals to take place. They have been brewing for the previous month and prior to that had been barreling at an offsite facility, then blending, and bottling. Each beer the brewery produces takes roughly 6 months to a year to reach the maturity desired, however, some such as their Berliner Weiss beers, can finish a bit quicker.

While the goal for Succession Fermentory is to eventually have a tasting room with a restaurant, they will not open with a tasting room on the farm. Instead, they will offer bottle pick-up times, as well as direct-to-consumer shipping throughout Pennsylvania. They will also host a variety of special events on the farm that will be announced periodically, where customers are invited to drink on the premises.

To learn even more about the Fermentory we recently spoke with co-owner and brewer Keith Hartwig about the operation and future plans. You can read more from our conversation below.

BIPA: How did you become initially interested in craft beer? Who is all involved with Succession Fermentory?

Keith: It’s myself Keith Hartwig and my business partner Justin Kerber. We will both be brewing and working on all aspects of the brewery. The styles of beer we are making are experience-driven drinking styles. We are really focused on aging beers to get the flavors and aromas, and overall drinking experience.

I have been homebrewing for almost 10 years, and have done some collaborations with breweries in Boston. I am also an artist, and my work is mostly community and social practice. I work with communities to identify creative opportunities. Some time ago, I became very interested in, and focused on, the relationship between food production and environment/climate issues. I started looking at how I could engage as an artist with communities on issues related to food production.

Justin is an amazing trained chef and has worked in some of the best restaurants in Philadelphia over the last 10 years. He is interested in brewing from a culinary perspective and is really recipe and technique driven. He has also homebrewed for many years, and we are excited to see what we can create with our different backgrounds.

We liked that brewing could be more than a business, it could have a value proposition to it. We want to help the community and be a platform for others. The brewery will be used to focus on many local issues around PA agriculture and community, and we’ve made a commitment to use 100% grain from PA farmers and hops they occasionally use.

The artwork on all bottles will be done by Caroline Hu. It’s all focused on the science of fermentation, and also the folkloric and mythological part of the Succession Fermentory brand. We will have stories of each of the beers that will be told through the art.

Photos courtesy of Succession Fermentory.

BIPA: What styles of beers will you focus on?

Keith: We will primarily focus on mixed culture beers, but will have three main styles: Berliner Weiss, Saisons, and blended sours.

Our Berliner has a small amount of aged hops in it, and we are working with a really sensitive lactobacillus strain. When seasons are right they will utilize the cool ship, generally in the October-March timeframe. We also have no heating or cooling systems on any of our tanks, we are using spontaneous fermentation/ambient fermentation.

BIPA: Can you describe the space you are opening?

Keith: We are opening on Stell Lou Farm, with a 5BBL brewhouse, in a 1,200 sq/ft building. We won’t have a tasting room to come and hang out, but will be selling bottles to go, as well as for shipping to all PA residents. Our plan is to do private events on the farm.

Stell Lou Farm is a permaculture-based farm. What does that mean? “It is the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems.”, according to a popular Permaculture farming website. Stella Lou has an Apiary on site, a produce garden, and an orchard as well. They’ll host events throughout the year, and we will provide beer for them. Stay tuned for Fall Fest next year!

The brewery will also be using ingredients directly off the farm. Lots of honey, rhubarb, and berries to start.

BIPA: Anything else our readers should know about the Succession Fermentory Brewery?

Keith: We have some collaborations lined up and are really excited about them. We have a Deer Creek Malt collab, as well as one with The Referend soon too.

COCHRANVILLE, Pa. — The bellowing of chrome stacks, the puttering purr of tractors small and large, red and green — it was just the send-off Norman Laffey would have loved.

Laffey, a well-known Chester County dairy farmer, died July 25 at age 88 of congestive heart failure.

His sons — Norman Jr., George, Mike and Andrew — hosted a memorial farm equipment parade on Saturday, Aug. 14, with the help of friends Jeff Young of the local Plowman’s Club and Jim Hershey.

The long and varied caravan — 600 tractors, heavy trucks and antique vehicles — traveled 11 miles from the Cochranville Fire Co. to Laffey’s former dairy, Glenville Farms, and back.

Laffey’s sons and their families believe the parade was a fitting way to honor Laffey’s life, and an opportunity to bring their farming community together.

“It was a great tribute to him, a good way to send him off, a very honorary way,” said Andrew, his youngest son.

Andrew’s wife, Debbie, was also pleased with the parade.

“I hope he (Norman) would have been happy about it,” she said. “It was really something special. I could not believe the crowd that was in the parade.”

Born on a small farm in West Chester, Laffey moved to a 100-acre farm in West Fallowfield Township in 1953 to avoid the urban sprawl where he had grown up, Andrew said.

Over the decades, Laffey grew his farm and his reputation as a dairyman.

His milking herd went from 40 to 1,750 cows. He switched from a tie-stall barn to a double-8 herringbone parlor. Laffey, his four sons and daughter, Karen, worked together and eventually farmed over 3,000 acres.

Once mainly a Holstein farmer, Laffey brought in 12 Jersey cows and continued to buy Jersey bulls to breed his first-time heifers.

Andrew recalled that the farm developed a healthy population of Jersey-Holstein crosses.

“He said that he never had to worry about them (Jerseys). They would pick a spot between two Holsteins and dive right in to eat,” Andrew said. “He said they were very competitive eaters.”

Laffey shifted to semi-retirement at 65 after undergoing a heart valve replacement. Following the surgery, Andrew said, Laffey was around every day and would offer advice, but he no longer did any heavy lifting.

In 2016, the family sold the farm because of high taxes and low milk prices. It wasn’t an easy decision for Norman and his sons, but Glenville’s current owner, Arlin Benner, has continued to run the farm as a dairy.

Laffey made a lot of friends over the years, evidenced by the more than 400 people who attended his viewings Aug. 1 and 2.

“He knew everybody in Chester, Lancaster and Cecil County, Maryland. If they were a farmer of 10 years or more, he knew them,” Andrew said.

Michael Hix, a farmer from Unionville, said fellow farmers appreciated Laffey’s lively and compassionate disposition.

“Norman was always a happy-go-lucky guy,” Hix said. “He was always smiling, never a frown.”

Hix, who has admired Laffey since childhood, drove Laffey’s International Harvester 1066 in the parade.

The midsize tractor was Laffey’s first IH — but not his last.

Andrew said his dad purchased a lot of red tractors in the 1970s and ’80s because he had found a dealer that provided excellent service and support.

“He said if you don’t have service and support, I don’t care what color it is, it’s no good to me,” Andrew said.

Hix purchased the machine at Laffey’s farm sale in 2016.

“When they had the auction, it was the only reason that I went. I didn’t want to go, but I wanted that tractor,” Hix said.

Hix replaced the water pump and did some minor service before using it on his own farm. He has used the 1066 to mow hay fields, and he planted his first field of corn with it.

For parade organizer Jeff Young, Laffey was both an employer and a friend. Young worked at Glenville Farms for eight years as a young man and said Laffey taught him a lot about farming and inspired him to buy a farm of his own.

“He was like a second father to me,” Young said.

Norman Laffey was a father figure and friend to many in his community, and the parade that is his legacy will continue for years to come.

Sharon Nolan was born and raised on a dairy farm in Cochranville, Chester County, Pennsylvania. Her entire life has been about the dairy business, from owning milking herds to raising and showing prize-winning calves, heifers and cows, to mentoring youngsters through the Chester Country 4-H dairy program.

Nolan became involved in 4-H when she was 8 years old. These days, after having spent 11 years as a 4-H club member plus some 34 years as a dairy club leader, Nolan easily qualifies for the title “4-H lifer” in the most complimentary way.

“Sharon is one of our five most experienced club leaders,” said Penn State Extension educator Toni Stuetz, who oversees the Chester Country 4-H program. “She has a huge heart and a strong commitment to 4-H and our guiding principles. (She) is literally one-of-a-kind. ... (She) is able to mentor our young 4-H members, many without a farm background, as they get involved in farm-related projects throughout the year.”

Last year was hard on 4-H clubs.

“The COVID-19 pandemic made 2020 a difficult year for 4-H and other youth programs,” Nolan said, “and it was difficult on the leaders as well, with regular meetings canceled and opportunities for club members to show off their 4-H projects (at) in-person gatherings all canceled.”

She continued: “It looks like 2021, however, may be a little closer to the normal we remember.”

Nolan and her husband, Rob, have a family of four adult children and 10 grandchildren (ages 8 to 20). They are all either 4-H alumni, current 4-H members or soon-to-be 4-H members. Raising, caring for and showing dairy cows under the family banner of Dreamnol Ayrshires is part of growing up a Nolan. The Ayrshire breed has roots in Ayrshire, Scotland, said Sharon Nolan: “These cows have an exceptional foraging ability and turn just about anything they eat into quality milk. Our family loves raising them, milking them and showing the calves, heifers and cows.”

Currently, Nolan leads the seven-member Manor Dairy Club, which is working hard with its animals in preparation for the summer fair and the 4-H competitions that, she said, will include in-person events and face-to-face judging.

“Our kids need the fair experience of showing their animals in a ring under a judge’s eye, socializing with their friends — who, for the day, are their competitors — and getting back to being kids again.”

The Manor Dairy Club competitive schedule includes a number of fairs, plus the important 4-H Roundup which, for Chester Country, will be held at the 4-H Romano Center in Honey Brook, on the week of Aug. 9, with dairy judging scheduled for Aug. 13.

The Roundup is a big event for 4-H members to show animals or their work on STEM, agronomy, and biological and mechanical sciences projects, among others. A blue-ribbon award at the Roundup, said Nolan, allows club members to compete at the district and state levels.

Nolan’s grandchildren have been working with their heifer calves and heifer yearlings on the Laffey Farm in Cochranville. The children train the animals all year, getting ready for show competition under the guidance of their grandmother and club leader.

Her children and oldest grandchildren have shown animals for a decade and longer, and they help mentor the younger children for in-person competition.

Nolan’s grandson, Luke Nolan, 16, is a Unionville High School junior and works part-time at the Wickersham Dairy at Marlboro Valley Farm in Kennett Square during the year. He is considering a career in dairy. Her granddaughter, Lainey Nolan, 17, is a senior at Solanco High School. Lainey has been working with her younger cousins, Annabella Smith, 10, and Makayla Smith, 8, and their heifers Grayce, Braylyn and Gabrielle, who will be shown several times through early fall.

Luke, who enjoys working with cows, “has a way with cows,” his grandmother said. “I think he may carry on the family dairy tradition.”

Lainey said she has had some health issues with her past heifers, but it has not discouraged her. She feels that Grayce, her 1-year-old heifer calf, is healthy and ready for a good year in competition.

There are currently 27 dairy cows in the Nolan family Ayrshire herd, ranging from calves through milking cows.

“We have plenty of cows for the children to bond with when they pick an animal to work with and compete with,” Nolan said. “It’s a commitment for all of us, as the animals need to be cared for every day of the year.”

The Manor Dairy Club was unable to meet as a group for most of the 2020 year. Now, in-person events are just beginning to open up, said Nolan.

In June, the Chester County 4-H held its annual Dairy Day education program to introduce members to different aspects of breeding, raising and showing dairy animals.

“We had 19 children and five leaders for the program and it was nice to see our members interact face-to-face again,” Nolan said.

Lainey said, “Sometimes you win and sometimes you don’t, but having your animal ready for the ring and doing your best is a reward in itself. And, it is a learning experience for both the animals and their trainers.”

Annabella was showing cows even before she became a 4-H member, like her sister Makayla is doing now. Annabella will show heifer calf Gabrielle this season.

Both Nolan and Stuetz are seeing more and more 4-H members today who do not live on farms. Former farmland in Chester Country and in southeast Pennsylvania, they point out, has been sold for residential or commercial development, but local youngsters still want to learn about the farm way of life and that heritage.

“That’s where groups like 4-H come in and help keep the farm values, work ethic and heritage alive,” Stuetz said, “through veteran voluntary leaders like Sharon Nolan and her Manor Dairy Club.”

COCHRANVILLE, Pa. — With a passing of the familial torch, the Rank family of Cochranville earned Glennview Farm its second Dairy of Distinction Award. Glenn Rank had previously won the award when he was farming in partnership with his father.

“I like the idea of community recognition, that we are doing the best we can.” Glenn Rank said.

His wife Lois said it’s a way to get their name out there and showcase the care they have for their farm.

Now that Glenn and his wife own the farm, it was time to reapply. Glenn Rank first went into partnership with his father in 1990. He purchased his father’s half of the partnership in 2005, followed by the farm in 2012. The couple purchased fields across the road in 2015.

The Ranks have a milking herd of about 100 registered Holsteins, including dry cows. The farm has about 155 acres, plus additional acres. They raise corn, soybeans, wheat and alfalfa. The farm’s cropping acreage supplies the ration needs of the farm. Their milk is shipped to Hy-Point Dairies in Delaware. The herd’s rolling herd average is about 27,000 pounds.

A neat and tidy farm is a part of the program. Lois and daughters Sophia, 15, and Annika, 12, plant the flowers and mow the yards around the farm.

Lois said it was much harder to keep up with this year. Despite the challenges, the landscaping is dotted with flowers around the barn, house and farm sign. Glenn works on keeping the buildings in tip-top shape. “We do a lot of our own repair work, even on equipment, unless it’s major work,” Glenn said.

They have one full-time and several part-time employees plus their daughters who help at the farm. Many of their part-time employees are school students. It worked really well for the students who will stay with the farm until they graduate from high school.

Margins are tight, but the Ranks don’t drive management decisions solely by the milk price. “The tight economy does not drive me. My philosophy is to work as efficiently as you can,” Glenn Rank said. There have been some cutbacks. Glenn and his full-time employee have taken on more of the repair work themselves. He closely monitors what he is adding to the ration. He’s worked with all of his consultants to evaluate the crop and feed and dairy operations. He utilizes a rapid growth heifer program with a targeted age at first calving of 21-22 months.

The farm has also improved its conservation footprint, winning the 2015 Chester County Chesapeake Bay Conservationist of the Year. The Ranks built a manure storage for the heifer barn, improved barnyard runoff and other adopted best management practices.

Cow comfort is also important. The cows are housed in a tie-stall barn, but with a misting and fan system installed, the barn stays cool even on the hot days of summer. Glenn Rank said on some days, the barn feels like its air conditioned.

When not busy, Sophia and Annika enjoy showing their dairy cattle in the Chester County 4-H program.

COCHRANVILLE, Pa. — When Bill Clark selects a Douglas fir for his Christmas tree this year, he’ll look no farther than his own farm.

Clark, owner of Clark’s Christmas Tree Farm in southern Chester County, has been cutting trees for wholesale buyers since Nov. 16.

He finished delivering the trees this week, just in time for choose-and-cut customers to start flocking to the farm on Black Friday.

“It’s a lot of fun, and I enjoy it,” Clark said.

Clark started the business when he was 14, selling cut trees at a lot in West Chester.

He had a cut-your-own farm near there in the 1980s and ’90s, and started planting on his current 20 acres in 1995.

The farm grows some old standbys, like the aforementioned Douglas fir, but Clark is also excited about some of the less common varieties he is bringing to market.

This is his third year of harvesting Canaan firs, which look similar to a Fraser fir. “We’re actually converting half the farm to Canaan fir,” Clark said.

His Korean firs are 5 to 6 feet tall, so they won’t be ready for a few more years.

When customers do get them, Clark thinks they’ll be hooked. They look nice and have stiff branches for holding ornaments.

Clark grows most of his Christmas trees to standard sizes and won’t go much higher than 12 feet.

It’s simple economics: A 20-foot tree takes up enough space for 10 8-foot trees, and few people have the means to transport such a leviathan, he said.

Clark also buys some cut Fraser firs because the popular variety doesn’t grow well in Chester County.

This year brought sufficient rain and perfect weather for growing trees. That was a welcome change from last year, which was dry.

“(The dryness) doesn’t affect the bigger ones. It affects the ones that you planted this year and last year because their roots are only in the ground 6, 8 inches,” Clark said.

Meanwhile, Clark’s daughter Becky and daughter-in-law Mia have been busy expanding the selection of decorations at the farm’s indoor, heated Christmas shop.

“This stuff starts to come in in July, and it’s pretty much all purchased in January for the next year in order to make sure we get the items that we want,” Clark said.

The shop offers refreshments and free visits with Santa on the weekends.

The farm has benefited from the shop, which opened three years ago, as well as rising consumer interest in real trees.

Consumers recognize that artificial trees are usually made in China, not the United States, and pile up in landfills when they are discarded, Clark said.

This year, though, the national supply of Christmas trees and wreaths is expected to be tight.

Clark thinks many growers cut back on their plantings after a glut of trees in the early 2000s hurt prices and the recession of 2008 made money tight.

Clark didn’t scale back.

“Come every spring, we plant next to every stump that was cut, so we always have enough trees,” he said.

Growers have also had a tough time finding workers who are willing to brave the elements to get the job done. “It’s rain, snow, sleet, shine — the old mailman saying,” Clark said.

Here, too, Clark has done pretty well. He gets Christmastime help from several landscapers and his son.

Joe Clark and his wife, Brittany, run Clark Brothers Nursery in Oxford. They send some of their workers to the Christmas tree farm for the season.

The workers keep busy hauling wholesale orders and helping retail customers with their trees.

For Bill Clark, the work won’t end on Christmas.

In February, he’ll be preparing the ground for March plantings of 4-year-old transplants.

“By the time we get done planting, it’s time to start mowing down the rows,” he said.

All the trees are sheared yearly starting in August. “That’s the work. That’s the hard work,” Clark said.

Half to two-thirds of the new growth comes off each year. That gets rid of problems with multiple tops and trunks, and is the key to producing a nicely shaped tree.

In between the farm work, Clark runs KC Sign & Awnings in Aston.

By November, it will be time to add stone to the farm’s parking lot, and make the fresh wreaths and evergreen roping.

Wreaths are made from branches cut from the bottom of the trees.

“You have a lot of low-lying branches that are an inch or two off the ground, and nobody wants them on a Christmas tree,” Clark said.

People need somewhere to put their presents, after all.

As they get older, some of Clark’s grandchildren are starting to pitch in at the farm.

One helped plant this year. Another helped unpack the gift shop. Even Mia Clark’s 4-year-old son, Ben, has a job.

“When people come in, he turns on all the things that dance and sing,” Bill Clark said.

Sounds like the third generation of this tree-growing family is catching the Christmas spirit.Photos by Phil Gruber

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Photo by Phil Gruber

Workers move a Christmas tree off a trailer at Clark’s Christmas Tree Farm in Cochranville, Pennsylvania.

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A Douglas fir towers over young trees near the farm’s Christmas shop, where the Clarks sell decorations and drinks to make a day of Chritmas tree shopping complete.

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Bill Clark stands with a Fraser fir.

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Dylan See feeds a Christmas tree into a baler at Clark’s Christmas Tree Farm in Cochranville, Pennsylvania. Curtis Justice stands with the machine.