Pleasant Vale Farm is Long on Legacy “I’ve always loved animals,” said Sarah McDonough, who grew up on a hobby farm in Vermont.
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By Anita L. Sherman
here’s a stone wall still standing on the property at Pleasant Vale Farm in Delaplane. It speaks to another century, to another era in 1768 where a horse and carriage would pull up for a visit. Sturdy and stately, it stands as a guardian, a protector of a place whose many acres continue to do what they do best – nurture and raise livestock, food for our tables. Sitting on the front porch of a renovated farmhouse, Sarah McDonough literally glows, perhaps from the sweat from a morning of work or perhaps humidity. Her radiance bespeaks her essence – a woman dedicated to farming and doing it with heart. McDonough is a mother, teacher, gentlewoman farmer, animal lover, nurturer and keeper of history and legacy. At Pleasant Vale Farm, the animals are part of their family, raised humanely and in their natural habitats. Herds are small so that the highest quality of product can be maintained. They currently have 50 cows and 20 calves. They aren’t stressed, they have plenty of water to
Photo by Vicky Moon
Three generations keep it all in the family at the Marshall Farmer’s Market: Luke McDonough, Sarah McDonough and Carol Terwilliger of Pleasant Vale Farm in Delaplane. drink, space to roam. Their feed, when not munching on bright green grasses, is not supplemented with growth hormones or preventative antibiotics. “I don’t want to stray from our core mission and values,” said McDonough, who believes in raising the happiest and healthiest animals who will, in turn, provide top quality taste, nutrients and nourishment for families. Growing the business at Pleasant Vale Farm is measured. McDonough, who teaches 8th grade science at Marshall Middle School, is keen on knowing the right numbers of animals, their ability to care for them and continue to keep
Photo by Anita L. Sherman
Twelve-year-old Luke McDonough enjoys feeding the farm’s two goats – Happy and Sad. They like graham crackers.
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Go Green Middleburg | Autumn 2021
7/6/21 4:25 PM
