Situated at the end of a dirt road in Ashfield is Cozie Nook Farm. This 120 acre piece belonging to Dennis and Robyn Crowningshield has been in the family since 1914. “My great grandparents bought it,” says Dennis Crowningshield. According to Dennis it was a dairy until the mid 50’s and then a chicken farm. Now they hope that when the kids are older they can make enough off of the farm to retire there.

Staying busy: “We first got into raising sheep when the boys started 4H,” says Robyn. Now they have around 15 head of both Icelandic and Finn varieties. The sheep are entirely grass fed. “We sell either whole or halves,” Robyn says “and I’ve also started taking some meet to the Conway Farmers Market.” In addition the Crowningshield’s have also raised chickens, selling them at Elmer’s store in Ashfield. “Now we are trying our hand at turkeys,” points out Robyn. “These are an heirloom variety called Purple Slate,” she says.

In addition Robyn runs a full service florist business raising many of the flowers she puts in her arrangements. “I really like to use all natural material in my arrangements. Most of it is locally grown” Robyn adds. In the fall Robyn sells gourds and unusual pumpkin varieties, in the spring she likes to do container gardens and in the winter she does balsam and pine wreathes. Year round she does weddings and other events.

Sawmill Business: In 1999 Dennis bought a small, portable sawmill. “I’d like to get more out of my trees than just the stumpage value (the value of trees sold as standing timber)” says Dennis. However, he found the original ban sawmill was just too labor intensive, requiring at least one other person to help. It was also difficult with character wood (wood with knots and other defects) to get a board with an even thickness. So recently Dennis purchased a new Peterson sawmill. This portable mill uses a circular saw blade which can rotate 90 degrees. This means that the log “doesn’t need to be handled more than once and I can easily get a board with a consistent thickness,” says Dennis. Located around the house are a number of outbuildings that Dennis has built using logs from their woods that he milled himself. “I’ve also done a number of custom sawing jobs for others,” Dennis says. “My plan is to find a niche market for my wood. Molding is a possibility, “he says. “Right now my business is really word-of-mouth.”

Sawmill Demonstration: On September 29th from 10am to 11am the Crowningshields will be doing a demonstration of their sawmill. Give them a call at 628-3254 for more information.