History:
The Leonard Family has been milking cows at the current location in Midland, Va. since November of 1954, but this property has been in the family since the early 30's. The story is told that the then engaged couple of R. Marion Leonard and Alma Elizabeth Grohs had a choice of two farms in the Midland area and the current location was chosen due to the railroad tracks nearby. R. Marion was an entrepreneur and owned his own concrete silo construction company and built silos all over the state of Virginia. He even learned how to fly a plane so that he could check on his different crews and meet with prospective new clients.
Alma and Marion's oldest son Ronald and his wife Pat, decided they want to start a Dairy and the first load of milk sold from Al-Mara Farm was shipped in 1954. While Ronald is still active, the third generation (Ronald and Pat's sons) has assumed the management with Jeff, his wife Patty, and his brother John tending the farm with the help of four employees and Jeff and Patty's three daughters. The farm currently has about 70 Holsteins and 30 Jerseys in the milking herd and 125 young herd replacements, 200 Angus Cow/Calf herd, two Brown Swiss, (other breeds of Dairy cows),2 donkeys, 1 horse,6 sheep, to many cats to count, chickens, goats and probably more animals by the time you get there. They grow about 300 acres of corn and 600 acres of Soybean, along with some hay and pasture. The total acres farmed is about 1800 acres in a 5 mile radius of Midland. So did you noticed the farm name is derived from Jeff''s grand parent's names Alma and Marion?
The question we get asked often, is what prompted the venture into "Agri-tainment? Well... Jeff's wife Patty had been volunteering her time to host Dairy farm tours for the local schools, starting when their first daughter entered school eighteen years ago. She had always enjoyed sharing her knowledge and love of dairy cows with folks, be it at the farm or while the family exhibited their Holsteins at the local fairs, festivals or special events. So, opening the farm up for tours and planting a corn maze just seemed like a natural step in the families' desire to share the story of agriculture, and more specifically the life of a Dairy cow.
Cows-N-Corn opened to the public in August 2001 and has been growing each year with new learning and fun activities. They are now serving delicious hand dipped Ice Cream in many delicious flavors on weekends from Spring until fall. They also have expanded our small gift shop and have wonderful cheeses made from the milk from our cows and cheeses from our neighbors operations. They host birthday parties, family reunions and company picnics, something unique and sure to make lasting memories.
So come by for a visit, there is always a "Leonard" family member around (unless we have to go chase cows)
and would love to visit with you and show you around our farm and share our little corner of the world.
