The farm is in use. The major crop is hay, which is leased to the Sanford Horse Farm. The hay is cut, conditioned and baled and is stored in the barn to be used as needed.
Lumber is occasionally harvested; however, the lumbering is limited to accepted ecologically sound practice.
Bees produce wildflower honey in the field over the hill to the north of the house. The beehives are there year-round and enclosed in a wire fence. They should be avoided as the bees are protective of their home.
Because the hayfields are valuable, vehicles are not allowed to traverse the fields except by existing farm roads.
As with most hill farms in upstate New York, the land has been well mixed up by the last glacier. The Bull Run valley is typical of the geologic hanging valley, caused by the scouring out of a stream by the last glacier. The wider rivers were deeply cleaned out by the glacier, but the smaller ones weren't dug out as deeply, as in the diagram.
Where the hanging valley meets the main valley, there is a small falls, well cut back into the valley. You can see the falls by walking down the road towards town. As you pass the dirt road on the left, the road gets steeper and the falls will be on the left. Erosion has cut the falls back into the valley from where it was just after the last glacier, some thousand feet down the valley.
Over the years, the stream has cut into the glacial till, the material left by the glacier. The farm has its own small canyon which you can get to by crossing the big field by the house. Simply go up the farm road between the house and the barn, and cross the field on the level. When you come to the stone wall at the edge of the field, follow it down the hill until it is easy to cross. You should see the Bull Run Creek. If you descend to the creek, you can follow upriver through a very nice hidden canyon. The creek ascends through the woods and where it makes a turn to your left, over on the right is a dense Hemlock grove. Follow the creek upriver to where the valley opens up and you will be able to bear left to reach the house over the brow of the hill.
Back to Main Page