Cheers to 100 Years
By Liam Gorman // Photos by David Edgecomb
1923 WAS A BIG YEAR.
To remind anyone who wasn’t there: The Yankees won their first World Series. The first issue of Time magazine was published. The Walt Disney Company was founded. And, most importantly for the Berkshires, Lee’s very own High Lawn Farm put pure Jersey cow milk in its first bottle.
While that last one might not go down in too many history books, it was the start of something huge for the Jersey cow herds of the world—all because of one amazing woman, Marjorie Field Wilde.
“My mother was the heart and soul of that farm,” says Lila Wilde Berle, who grew up riding her horse all over the family farm. “I really did know the place; I knew where the streams were and the fish—it was just wonderful. I just knew the farm really well. Probably better than anybody.”
For those not as familiar with the dairy farm as Berle, High Lawn sits on nearly 1,600 acres nestled within Lenox, Lee, and Stockbridge. Chances are if you’ve driven on Route 7, just south of the entrance to The Mount, you’ve seen some of their Jersey herd enjoying the pastures. That same herd that Berle’s mother fostered over six decades has made High Lawn an internationally renowned farm.
“My mother was the one who really, really put the farm on the map,” says Berle. “She could walk into a field where the cows were all grazing, and she could tell you who the mother was of that one and the grandmother of that one. She was very smart, and she had a great mind for data.”
When Marjorie and her husband, Colonel H.G. Wilde, took over the farm from her parents in 1935, she used her head for data to transform the Jersey breed. At the time, the breed was deemed less profitable by most dairy farms because they were smaller animals that produce less milk. But good things come in small packages. While Jerseys might make less, their milk is more nutrient dense with a higher butterfat and protein content, making it more nutritious.
A 1932 graduate of Bryn Mawr College, Marjorie didn’t have a background in breeding but certainly had a knack for it. She could often be seen in the farm’s pastures carrying a big book of records filled with data about breeding for the farm’s herd.
“Most of the pictures that you see of her, she’s holding that book; those were the paper records and the lineage of each animal,” says Caitlin Moriarty, High Lawn Farm assistant general manager, as she walks through a spacious museum that is found on the farm, filled with memorabilia from the last century.
“Marjorie would take notes and references in those record books. ‘Oh, I think this cow would be really well-mated with this sire.’ And that’s how, through many years of breeding, she was able to create the ideal High Lawn cow.”
The ideal High Lawn cow came to be through Marjorie’s eye for solid traits such as good teat placement, strong udder attachments, and an animal’s stature, attributes that would mean the cow would likely have a long, productive life. Years of selective breeding—mating the right cow with the right bull—meant for a more productive herd.
“She really was into the breeding and really good at it—she didn’t do physical work but boy, did she know the cows,” says Berle. “My father was in and out, doing business and in the Army. He was not really a farmer. So, it was a miracle that my mother found her niche. The place has evolved around these strong, smart women.”
A wall of awards and trophies can be found in the museum as a testament to Marjorie’s hard work and dedication to an industry generally run by men.
“She would walk into a barn, and the men would be playing the Red Sox games or whatever when they were milking, and everything came to a halt,” reminisces Berle. “She had an eye and could spot an udder that was hung the right way or the wrong way. The men who worked there loved my mother.”
Breeders worldwide took notice of the work Marjorie was doing, and High Lawn stock were shipped as far as India, New Zealand, and South Africa. “The breeders who knew, knew she was the one they had to talk to about key things,” says Berle. “When I think about what she had to deal with—and she did it and she was tenacious about those cows—it’s totally amazing.”
Several years before her death in 1997, the official publication of the Jersey Cattle Association designated High Lawn Farm as “the cradle of the Jersey breed. It may be one of the greatest examples of cattle breeding ever witnessed—certainly one of the single-most-successful endeavors of the 20th century.”
Marjorie’s legacy lives on. After 15 generations of breeding, the High Lawn herd is 300 strong and the 120 milking cows can boast producing four times more milk that contains 18 percent more protein and 20 percent more calcium per unit of feed than an average cow. On top of that, at least 80 percent of all Jersey cows in North America can trace their roots back to High Lawn Farm.
The farm’s legacy in the Berkshires is more than the cows, though. It’s community. Only half of High Lawn’s 1,600 acres is used for farming. The rest has been preserved for the sake of “keeping the Berkshires green,” as Marjorie’s son, William, was known to say before he passed away in 2013.
“He viewed it as protecting the land and obviously protecting the environment. It is a huge asset to Lee,” says Phil Smith, spokesperson for the Lee Historical Society. “They’re very generous to the community. In addition to preserving one of the most beautiful parts of Lee, the public beach is owned by High Lawn Farm, and they’ve allowed use for about 100 years. What a great gift to the town.”
Today, the farm that Marjorie and her Jerseys built has thrived—and has changed considerably since she walked through its pastures. Still owned and operated by the Wilde family, a major renovation and restoration finished in 2015 updated the farm and opened up new opportunities to engage the community.
Gone are the days of a farmer milking the cow; today, robots do all of that. “The robots are really amazing,” says Moriarty. ”The technology really allows the cows to be cows, to be in charge of their day. They can choose if they want to go take a nap or milk. But it also offers us more information. It’s like having an extra 120 farmers in that barn at all times.”
Each cow is fitted with a special collar that gathers data each time they come to milk—information like weight, how much milk they produced, and the temperature of the milk. This data is sent to the farm team to help track the herd’s production, and also to raise any red flags about the health of the cow.
“You can often see it on a report before she’s actually physically showing that she’s not feeling that well,” says Moriarty. “So, sometimes we can give her a little bit of extra treatment. We can put her in one of the separated stalls where she can get pampered, extra fluffy hay in front of her, more time to be alone and rest without having her get sick.”
Gone, too, are the days of the milkman. High Lawn made home deliveries until 2004 but now has a fleet of trucks and distributors to cover the Northeast and is able to ship products around the country. They’ve also become more accessible to the public. In 2020, High Lawn opened The Farmstead Creamery Shop, their version of a farm stand where people can buy products made on the farm including cheese, butter, ice cream, and other locally sourced items. Not only does it give them a chance to feature their goods, it allows for greater connection with the community.
“The business has changed a lot,” says Amye Gulezian, specialty foods operations manager. “Everyone’s invited to come to the farm and see things.”
It’s impossible to imagine what Marjorie would have made of all the changes on the farm, but it’s clear her passion lives on in the members of the farm team. “She’s a huge inspiration,” says Moriarty. “She was a visionary. I think she would be proud. I think she would really admire what we’re doing here.”
Gulezian wants to carry on the legacy. “As much as it’s very cliché to say we’re doing it for the next 100, we want this farm to be here for another 100 years. And even if none of us are here to reap those benefits, that’s the goal. And that’s what we’re constantly looking forward to.”
As for Marjorie’s daughter, her childhood memories of High Lawn are fond, but a day during the pandemic really brought the true meaning of the farm and the community into focus when world famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma and classical pianist Emanuel Ax performed in the pasture.
“They said they were playing for the cows and all the people who worked there,” recalls Berle. “It was simply a beautiful scene. And, you know, you got the sense that everything was going to be okay.”
Join the Festivities
The celebration of 100 years at High Lawn Farm will go on all summer and into the fall with community events that include the following:
Saturday, July 8: “100th Celebration Community Day,” a High Lawn open house including tours of the museum and product tastings.
Saturday, July 15: The New England Jersey Breeders Association is hosting their “Simmer Down for Summer Sale” cattle auction, open to the public starting at 2 p.m. newenglandjerseybreeders.com
Sunday, July 30: “Keep it Mooving,” a High Lawn 5K Run in collaboration with Berkshire Running Center. berkshirerunningcenter.com
Saturday, September 23: Massachusetts Cheese Guild is hosting its Cheese Festival at High Lawn Farm from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. macheeseguild.org
High Lawn Farm is located at 535 Summer Street in Lee. For updates on the events, check their Facebook page and go to highlawnfarm.com.