Making Hay: Tales from Oakholm, a Farm in Massachussetts

Combining local history, family memoir and a naturalist's simple affection for place, John Jeppson recalls his family's efforts to adapt a well-loved property to changing times. Bought in 1925 and now hosting a fifth generation of the Jeppson family, Oakholm has been optimistically run as a commercial enterprise in Brookfield, Massachusetts during the better part of a century in which farming has virtually disappeared from the local landscape. John's father, George Jeppson, started with a well bred Guernsey herd and developed a lively equestrian stable. His son abandoned the dairy business and concentrated on hay, Christmas trees, forestry and berries. During the week, both George and John played key roles in a growing industrial empire. On weekends, Oakholm took charge. In Making Hay, a ram-murderous with envy, a TB-infected dairy herd, two devastating hurricanes, a visit from Swedish royalty, a family of bald eagles, lakeside flooding and a growing American family refreshing its Swedish heritage make weekends and holidays at Oakholm a complex respite for industrialists George Jeppson and his son John, each of whom led a leading abrasives manufacturer through two very different eras. Making Hay is filled with humor, insight and engaging tales. It looks back, but with a steadying eye on the future. Farms and families are sustained by tradition and change. In Making Hay, John Jeppson makes clear why.