By, Ben Simons
Across the Mohawk Valley, the rhythm of farming does not stop when the snow starts to fall. December may bring shorter days and frozen ground, but for those of us who farm, it is a month of quiet productivity when the behind-the-scenes work that keeps local agriculture going truly begins.
The Work Beneath the Surface
While the fields rest, we turn our attention to everything that will support the next growing season. Tractors are serviced, barns repaired, and seed orders finalized. The root cellar fills with potatoes, squash, and carrots, the crops that carry families and restaurants through the coldest months.
Winter also brings time to reflect and reconnect. Many local farms host holiday markets, work with restaurants, or take part in farm-to-table dinners that highlight the valley’s year-round bounty. It is a slower and steadier kind of work, grounded in planning, patience, and pride.
Resilience and Renewal
December in the Mohawk Valley shows the resilience of the people who work this land. Beneath the snow lies soil full of potential, tended by farmers who know that agriculture is a constant conversation with the ground beneath our feet.
At our place, winter shifts the rhythm but never slows it down. There are mornings when the gates are frozen shut and nights when the wind cuts through every layer you have on, but the work is still waiting. Anyone who farms in this valley knows that December is not a break. It is maintenance, planning, and keeping everything, from equipment to animals to people, moving in the right direction.
Each morning, even when temperatures drop into the teens, I tend to my animals, including many newborn calves, and check the structures that keep our equipment safe and secure through winter. I have always called winter the thinking season, a time when ideas grow just as steadily as the chores.
December is also when many farmers take a hard look at year-end numbers and sit down with their bankers. We need to know whether it makes more sense to move some crop before the end of December, whether it is hay, corn, beans, or whatever we have, or hold off until after January 1. Selling now might help balance the books for the year. Waiting may keep us out of the red heading into 2026. The goal is a plan that keeps us steady and gives us some breathing room going forward.
A Season of Support
As the new year approaches, I ask our Mohawk Valley community to continue supporting your local agricultural businesses, including the Christmas tree farms that are in their busiest stretch of the year. From Buttenschon’s in Marcy to Olney’s in Westernville and Massoud’s in Sauquoit, these farms are bustling every weekend with families choosing fresh-cut trees and wreaths. The region also includes VanHatten Christmas Tree Farm in Alder Creek, Henderberg’s Christmas Tree Farm in Rome, and Kringle Christmas Tree Farm in Westernville. This is when these growers do most of their business, and their work helps set the tone for holiday celebrations across the valley. So as you plan your holiday traditions, make it a point to visit and support your local tree farm right here in the Mohawk Valley.
On behalf of our agricultural community, we wish you and yours a happy and healthy holiday season.
