Verrill Farm celebrated its 100-year anniversary in 2018. This popular farm stand, bakery, and kitchen rests on 210 acres of land between Concord and Sudbury, Massachusetts. In 1982, an Agricultural Preservation Restriction preserved half the property as wildlife habitat while the other half is retained for farming.

Floyd and Amy Verrill purchased the land and 1840 farmhouse at auction in 1918 and started a small dairy business. With a herd of Guernsey and Holstein cattle, they produced milk and sold it through a home delivery service. In 1957, their son Steve Verrill graduated from Cornell University with a degree in agricultural economics and farm management. Steve took over the farming operation alongside his wife, Joan. However, the dairy industry fell on hard times, and in 1990 the Verrills were forced to sell their herd.

The Verrills pivoted to growing produce, selling their goods at local farmers’ markets and at a roadside tent at Wheeler Road. Soon, their daughter Jennifer developed an interest in culinary arts and began baking pies from a kitchen in the old milking parlor.

In 1995, the Verrills replaced the roadside tent with a commercial kitchen and farmstand. The farmstand was replaced again after a fire in 2008. The modern Verrill Farm sells homegrown produce, eggs, and beef in addition to prepared foods, sandwiches, and of course, Jennifer’s pies.

Jennifer now runs the farm alongside her husband Tim and their daughters, Chloe and Grace, who are fourth-generation contributors to the Verrill legacy.

Photo courtesy of Verrill Farm

Sources: verrillfarm.com, Massachusetts Century Farms 2020 by Liz Smith