When you grow up on a century farm, working and living off the land is key part of life. And for Abbie Spackman, she hopes to keep it that way.
Abbie grew up on Roundtop Farms in Port Matilda, Pennsylvania, raising sheep and growing organic vegetables. The farm has been in her family for over 100 years, and even now, there are 4 generations of Spackmans living and working on their 600+ acres.
They have 2 Mahindra tractors: a 2565 and a 2655, both with cabs, that they purchased from Weldon Equipment in Julian, PA. The cabs are an essential for them, as the weather in Pennsylvania can shift in an instant, so having the climate control for snow, wind, dust, rain, and extreme heat really comes in handy.
Abbie’s full-time job is with AgrAbility PA, a program that provides services and support to farmers with disabilities or long-term health conditions. Her role is to work directly with the farmers, assessing their farms, equipment and tasks, and making recommendations on tools, equipment, modifications and other solutions that will help them continue farming. She then works with companies, vendors, foundations and organizations to help the farmers obtain financial assistance and the assistive technology they need. A big aspect of what she looks at is equipment access, and she loves that Mahindra tractors are accessible and require very little modifications.
During the pandemic, she took on 6 acres at her family’s farm and started a new project: the Heirloom Farmer. She is growing a mix of vegetables from heirloom seeds, which come from open-pollinated plants that pass on similar characteristics and traits from the parent plant to the child plant. Most produce grown today utilizes hybrids, so heirloom seeds and seed saving are becoming less and less common. Abbie hopes to change that, and has been saving seeds for years, and sharing saved seeds with other local farmers.
Her flagship product for the Heirloom Farmer is her family’s heirloom pie pumpkin. Her great-great-grandparents first received the pie pumpkin seeds from the Sioux Indians, and stored them away for over 60 years before her grandfather found them and decided to plant them.
The pie pumpkins get quite large (up to 33 pounds) and have a very unique flavor. Her family realized that the variety could become extinct if they ever lost the seed, so they started seed sharing in the 90’s and continue to do so to this day.
Abbie is also testing other heirloom varieties and ancient grains this year, in the hopes of offering a range of organic heirloom products in the future.
Like many who grew up on the farm, Abbie’s full-time job keeps her away during the week, but her weekends and her heart are with the Heirloom Farmer and Roundtop Farms.
To learn more about Abbie and the Heirloom Farmer, follow her on Instagram and Facebook.
