From Our Pastures to Your Plate
Sustainably Produced Beef
Three generations of farming...
In 1979, father and son, Robert and Thomas Mahar purchased Poplar Hill Farm from Alan Damon. The hundred year old farm is located in the hills of West Whately, MA on 120 acres. Thomas Mahar maintained dairy operations through the 1980s and 1990s. In 1998, Thomas closed the dairy operations and sold the majority of the herd.
The farm takes the 21st-century turn… Brothers Mike and Pete Mahar grew up on Poplar Hill Farm and spent their childhood learning about the hard work of dairy and beef farming. In 2014 brothers brothers decided to take over farm operations and expand the stock to nearly 100 animals. They are continuing the tradition of farming in these hills while investing in new sustainable practices that make their farm more efficient and more productive.
Our Animals Eat Local Too!
Poplar Hill Farm’s Herd consist of a mix of both angus and hereford breeds. Some of our brood cows have a small percentage of dairy in them which allows them to produce more milk and raise a healthier calf faster. This also generates a animal with a larger frame that has a higher yielding carcas. We breed all our brood cows to an angus bull. We never use artificial insemination. Our finished animals are never fed commercial grain, they eat the same feed for the entirety of there life. This consistency in our animals lives means less stress.
All our animals are born and raised on our farm in Whately. We are able to give an extensive history behind each of our animals. This means that the customers has an unmatched knowledge of exactly what they are eating, where it came from, and exactly what it was fed.
Our calves stay with their mother 7 - 9 months before they are weaned. This allows our young stock to grow naturally without the need for commercial grain in their diet. We grow and produce all our animals feed, we never use commercial grain or by products. All our animals eat local too. Our animals are raised all natural, No grow hormones are ever used on our farm. Our animals enjoy a free range environment year round with continuous access to shelter. Our combination of corn silage, dry and baleage hay, and lush green pasture feeds allow us to produce an animal that’s meat is lean but still has a flavor that other producers can't match.
Future Vision
Poplar Hill Farm is always looking ahead to how we can better serve our community. We are actively working towards more environmentally friendly farming practices such as no-till and rotational grazing. We are also moving towards completely GMO free and maybe even someday organic.
