After a mild winter, it was a cold and snowy spring here in southern New Hampshire. When the morning dawned bright and sunny on a recent Saturday, I took advantage of the pleasant weather and made my way a half hour north to Miles Smith Farm in Loudon, New Hampshire, a quiet little town just outside of Concord.
As part of the state’s Open Doors weekend, the 36-acre hilltop farm, which primarily raises Scottish Highland cattle and pigs, was having something like an open house, with staff (both two- and four-legged) on hand to welcome visitors.
Farmer and co-owner Carole Soule (voted one of New Hampshire Magazine’s Remarkable Women in 2014) greeted me, introducing me to one of the cattle and explaining that its hair had a certain matted look because it had recently been enjoying molasses, and sure enough, a deep sniff confirmed it was true. Carole was warm, knowledgeable, and exactly the kind of farmer you want to imagine caring for animals too often thought of only as dinner, rather than as living creatures. While they’re ever-mindful of the role they play in a working farm, Carole and the rest of the Miles Smith staff care deeply about both the animals and the products they provide to consumers, and it shows.
Here’s a look at Miles Smith Farm!
Miles Smith Farm was originally owned by (you guessed it) Miles Smith, who cleared the land and built the farm house in the 1830s. Today, the farm is home to grass-fed cattle, pigs, ducks, geese and a rabbit. Photo Credit : Aimee SeaveyCream the cow had given birth just weeks earlier to a calf named Phil. You can even see a video of Phil’s birth on the farm’s Facebook page! Photo Credit : Aimee SeaveyCream is friendly and sweet. Photo Credit : Aimee SeaveyCream’s new calf, Phil, is shy if you get too close, but that’s to be expected of a baby. Photo Credit : Aimee SeaveyA little afternoon snack courtesy of mom is just the ticket. Photo Credit : Aimee SeaveyAround the corner, I greet a pair of horses (Moose and Snap, lying down), enjoying the sunshine and (I’d like to think) the stunning views. Photo Credit : Aimee SeaveyJust a few steps away, a holding pen serves as temporary home to an 8-week-old litter of piglets (mom Sarah was hanging out a little further down the hill—you’ll meet her later). Photo Credit : Aimee SeaveyCarole leads a group of us (both kids and adults) into the pen, armed with a crate of apples, and the piglets scuttle around the pen in a herd, like a flock of birds, dodging legs and grunting. 8-week-old humans may be tiny and helpless, but 8-week-old piglets never stop moving. Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey“Sit still in the hay, and they’ll come to you” Carole advises after repeated unsuccessful attempts to befriend the piglets. And they do! Photo Credit : Aimee SeaveyBefore long, the shy, yet curious, 8-week-old piglets at Miles Smith Farm are sniffing, then licking, then nipping at my boots. Photo Credit : Aimee SeaveyBoots or chew toys? It’s all the same to these curious piglets. They eventually got the laces untied. Photo Credit : Aimee SeaveyThis is Gavin, one of the farm’s Scottish Highlander cows. He’s a 2 year-old bull that’s generous with the warm licks… Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey…while Virginia, a pregnant cow, munches from afar. Hello, gorgeous. Photo Credit : Aimee SeaveyCharlotte is one very lucky (and loved) sow. She was bought to be bacon, but a missed appointment with the butcher was all Carole and her husband Bruce Dawson needed to be convinced to keep her. “She smells like maple syrup” Carole told me. And when the breeze blows in my direction, I can hardly believe it, but she is right. Photo Credit : Aimee SeaveyCharlotte enjoys what was likely one of many apples that day, while Gavin the bull watches (in what was probably a bit of jealousy). Photo Credit : Aimee SeaveyChattering fowl at Miles Smith Farm. Photo Credit : Aimee SeaveyThe beautiful landscape at Miles Smith Farm. I make my way along the stone wall to visit with some of the farm’s younger cattle. They couldn’t be sweeter—ambling over to say hello and getting as close they felt comfortable (or the electric fence allowed). Photo Credit : Aimee SeaveyHello, may we help you? Photo Credit : Aimee SeaveyYes, we are quite lovely to look at. Photo Credit : Aimee SeaveyShall we pose for you? Photo Credit : Aimee SeaveyMore mature (pregnant) Highland cattle enjoy the sunshine in a far field. Photo Credit : Aimee SeaveyNear the entrance, the farm’s solar-powered farm store is offering samples and selling (what else?) fresh, local New Hampshire meat. Photo Credit : Aimee SeaveyOpen for business! Photo Credit : Aimee SeaveyInside, I’m greeted by helpful and friendly staff like Ela and Shannon. Photo Credit : Aimee SeaveyThe farm sells meat raised on their farm and on others in New Hampshire that follow the same grazing practices. Their meat is for sale in their own store, as well as at select farmers’ markets and in some Hannaford’s supermarkets. Go online for a full list of retailers. Photo Credit : Aimee SeaveyWhatever you’re looking for, they’ve got it. Buying from Miles Smith Farm is a wonderful way to support local farmers while enjoying meat that’s free from hormones, antibiotics, artificial additives, and preservatives. Photo Credit : Aimee SeaveyWhile poking around the store, I encounter the farm’s resident rabbit, Angus, and 20-pound pot-bellied pig named Tazzy. Tazzy, I have since learned, is a star (she’s on Snapchat!), which may help explain why she did not want me to take her photo. Photo Credit : Aimee SeaveyAs I’m leaving, I stop to visit Sarah (the mom to my boot-loving friends), who is grunting happily in the hay. If this doesn’t put a smile on your face, I don’t know what can. Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey
Thanks to Miles Smith Farm for a lovely visit, and especially to Carole for being so generous with her time. I was doubly impressed, first with the farm’s mission of respectfully raising happy, healthy animals in the sunshine, and providing quality meat products to the greater New Hampshire community, and second with the realization of the blood, sweat, and tears required to run a 36-acre farm in the 21st century.
Curious to learn more about the daily life of a modern farmer? Carole’s engaging, informative (and sometimes heart-wrenching) blog, Farming Moos, chronicles the experience.
Want to buy Miles Smith Farm meat or visit a restaurant that serves it? Check out the Miles Smith Farm Retail Page.
Miles Smith Farm. 56 Whitehouse Road, Loudon, New Hampshire. 603-783-5159; milessmithfarm.com
Aimee Tucker
Aimee Tucker is Yankee Magazine’s Home Editor and the Senior Digital Editor of NewEngland.com. A lifelong New Englander and Yankee contributor since 2010, Aimee has written columns devoted to history, foliage, retro food, and architecture, and regularly shares her experiences in New England travel, home, and gardening. Her most memorable Yankee experiences to date include meeting Stephen King, singing along to a James Taylor Fourth of July concert at Tanglewood, and taking to the skies in the Hood blimp for an open-air tour of the Massachusetts coastline.
