Windy Acre Farm Carries on a Suffield Tradition

Long a staple of the area's farming community, Suffield can trace some of its roots through the broad-leaf tobacco that grows in so many of its fields.

In 1860, more than 290 of the 316 working farms in town were growing tobacco, according to the Suffield town Web site. The first cigar factory in the United States was located in Suffield and opened in 1810. Tobacco was used as legal tender as early as 1727.

Today, much of what is learned about the town’s tobacco farming history is either learned from the Suffield Historical Society’s exhibit of tobacco memorabilia and cigar making equipment or by taking a walk through some of the few remaining farming operations in town.

Sitting on more than 11 acres of pristine farmland, the Windy Acre Farm carries on a longstanding Suffield tradition of growing Connecticut broad-leaf tobacco. A family business since 1981, the farm offers a view into the history and rural character of the local community.

When Debbie Neilsen and her late husband purchased the land from the Carroll family, they honored on the wishes of their predecessors by maintaining the property as farmland. When they first farmed the property they planted a variety of produce crops including pumpkins, butternut squash, Indian corn, spaghetti squash, in addition to tobacco. After saturation in the market for acorn and butternut squash depressed prices, the Neilsens made the decision to switch exclusively to growing tobacco.

“Many people don't realize that the best place for growing tobacco, not only in the United States, but in the world is right here in the Connecticut River Valley,” Neilsen said. Connecticut tobacco is some of the most highly prized in the world for premium cigar manufacturers, she said.

Currently operated by family friend John Phillips, the farm's season runs from roughly April to September, bringing up the tobacco plants from seed all the way to drying and delivery for use as cigar wrappers.

The farm uses greenhouses for growing the plants from seeds until they are ready to be put into the soil in early June. The crops are harvested in August and it can take up to two weeks depending on the weather. Dry conditions are optimal, and harvesters must wait until the morning dew is off the plants before bringing in the leaves. Moisture is the most significant enemy of the crop and some years many of the plants are damaged by rot and mold.

When the leaves are cut they are placed in the drying sheds. If the weather is especially humid, the drying process is aided by firing the sheds using charcoal or gas. Buyers from several companies send representatives to inspect the crops at various stages of the process.

Still a family business, Neilsen and her three daughters assist in the operation of the farm. The girls, Kristi, 19, Carly, 22, and Jamie 25, have all helped out “since they were tall enough to pick the plants and not walk on the leaves,” Neilsen said with a grin.

The Windy Acre Farm is part of a larger network of independent tobacco growers and receives support from the Connecticut Farm Bureau. The bureau runs meetings and assists farmers with legal issues and regulations.

“It's quite a nice support system for the farmers,” Neilsen said of the bureau. Suffield remains host to more than a dozen tobacco farms of various sizes.