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Simcock family has been able to keep business alive while others are gone
The Spectator - George Austin, Editor - 8/1/2001

Alan Simcock remembers when there were approximately 20 dairy farms within a two mile radius of the Marvel Street property where he milked cows, grew vegetables and sold ice cream.Today, there are only two dairy farms left in that area, the Simcock Farm and a farm owned by Ed and Paul Ferry on Sharps Lot Road in Swansea. While the other farms have "vanished" over the years probably because of "not enough income and too much work," Alan said, Simcock Farm is still alive."We diversified," Alan said."I guess that's the main reason we survived. We went into the vegetable stand and the ice cream."

On the farm, the Simcocks have a Dutch barn built in 1932, that can hold 42 cows and the 20 calves and heifers, animals that are inbetween a calf and a cow. On the farm, corn is grown for the animals, as well as tomatoes, Portuguese hot peppers, a variety of other kinds of peppers, squash, eggplant, pumpkins and flowers to sell. Besides the cows, other farm animals include goats, chickens, rabbits, cats and the farm mascot, a dog named Blondie. The Simcocks own 23 acres of the land and have half ownership of another 100 acres which is used for silage corn, pasture and for growing vegetables.

The Simcock Farm was started back in the 1800s by Alan's grandfather, James. The farm started out with smoked fish that was delivered to Fall River. Alan's father, Robert, and Alan's uncle, Earle, then took over the farm. There was an apple orchard at the farm and dairy cows were added. Potatoes and alot of strawberries were eventually grown. Alan and his cousins, George and Bruce took over the farm. Bruce left the farming business after hurting his back. Alan and George ran the farm for awhile before George decided to go into other work. Starting in the early 1980s, George ran the farm himself. In March of this year, after a hip operation left him unable to work on the farm, Alan sold the farm to his son, Jim, who had worked there since he was eight years old, and Jim's wife, Beverlyann, a professional violinist who has played in orchestras for such well known artists as Aretha Franklin, Rod Stewart and Richard Marx and who also teaches students how to play the instrument. They have become known as "the fiddler and the farmer." Jim, as part of the fourth generation of Simcocks on the farm, want to keep the family tradition of the family business going."It's our heritage,"Jim said."Plus, I've been here for so many years I couldn't see throwing away the years I've been here either."

Jim, 33, went to Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School to be a mechanic but after he graduated he realized his father wouldn't be able to run the farm alone and so devoted his work to the family business."He likes farming, so hopefully he'll do all right,"Alan said of his son taking over the business."He helped me for years. He isn't just starting. He's helped me since he was a kid. He's 33 years old, so he's got a background in it." Alan said it was depressing to see all of the other farms shut down in the area. He said high taxes hurt the businesses of the farmers. Alan loved farming."You're your own boss and you're out in the air seeing different things grow and you take pride in what you do,"Alan said."I like working with the animals." Alan said it was up to Jim to keep the family farm going.

"You never know what could happen in the future,"Jim said."That's why we purchased it, for job security." If there ever was a problem, Jim said the worstcase scenario would be that the Simcocks would have to get rid of the cows, but could continue to grow vegetables, keep a couple of heifers and still run the ice cream stand."I plan on milking cows right along, but you never know what the future could bring,"Jim said. Jim does 95% of the manual labor at the farm. He has started interviewing people to do some milking one day a week so that he can get a day off. He gets up at 4 am every day to begin his work. The cows are milked twice daily in the barn. Jim has been doing most of the milking at the farm every day except for Sunday for the last 14 years. The cows are fed approximately 90 pounds of food and drink about 40 gallons of water each day. Jim usually comes back to the house at about 10 pm. He said that farming is hard work, but it is something he would like to do for the rest of his working life.""I love animals,"Jim said."I would say we have some of the quietest cows around. If you don't have patience around them, they're not going to be quiet. If you're having a bad day, you can't take it out on the animals." Jim said some people don't understand how farmers treat their animals. He said some people have complained about other farmers in the area when they have seen cows with sore feet. He said if a cow is in too much pain and is not curable and profitable, the farmer is not going to keep the animal around the farm if the cow is going to be miserable."If a cow is in pain and they are not producing milk, you don't want to keep them anyway,"Jim said.

At the Simcock Farm, the milk is sold and picked up every day. Vegetables are sold to markets and at the farm's stand, which is open Mondays through Saturday from 11 am to 7 pm and on Sunday from 11 am to 8 pm. Fresh eggs, fruit, flowers and snacks are sold at the farm's stand. At the ice cream stand, ice cream is made with some of the farm's milk. Thirty six flavors of ice cream, including sugar free and yogurts, are sold at the stand seven days a week, from 11 am to 9 pm. The ice cream stand is mainly staffed with Beverlyann's violin students as well as local girls. Beverlyann did not grow up on a farm like her husband did, but she likes life on the farm."I love it,"Beverlyann said."I can remember when my dad used to take me camping. Whenever we saw a farm, I said 'stop, stop,' because I wanted to pet the animals." Tours of the Simcock Farm are given to camps and schools by appointment. A website is also being developed for the farm.

Alan used to work 18 hours a day on the farm and he sawed wood all winter. Most of the income from the farm came from the dairy. The milk was sold by cooperatives of groups of farmers to small dairies, like Hood. Things have changed in the farming business since Alan was younger. Alan said the work is a little easier. Horses were used for field work at the farm up until 1952 when they were sold to a logging camp and tractors started being used. The milk is transferred by pipeline right from the cows to the tanks, rather than by workers milking the cows and carrying the pails to the milk room. There are barn cleaners that are used to clean up, rather than cleaning the barn by hand. Alan said it also can be more difficult for farmers to find parts for tractors today in the area because the businesses that sell them are struggling, although he said sometimes the parts can be ordered overnight and delivered by the United Parcel Service.

When asked what it takes to survive as a farmer in the area, Jim said,"You've got to be willing to put in long hours and not get down when things don't quite go your way. You also have to realize you're always going to have a job, no matter what. There's always something to be done when you have a farm." Jim said it is important to preserve places like Simcock Farm so there is open space in the area. He said he would never sell the farm for house lots and said he thinks the area has been built up too fast." I just want to be able to make a living,"Jim said."I don't expect to get rich, but I am my own boss."