Shannon, Chris and Laura Gallagher, surrounded by some of the goats they raise at Cloverbrook Farm.
Reminder Publishing photo by Sarah Heinonen
EAST LONGMEADOW — East Longmeadow is a rural town and while farms selling blueberries or apples and other produce are fairly familiar, farms with an array of livestock are less common. Farms where the public can snuggle with goats, ride a horse and learn husbandry are rare.
That is exactly what people will find at Cloverbrook Farm, 39 Parker St. Home to Shannon and Chris Gallagher and their daughter Laura, the family purchased the 10-acre farm in 2023. Their journey began several years ago, when they lived in Virginia while Chris was in the Navy. As a child, Laura struggled with anxiety, which was made worse by the coronavirus pandemic. Shannon and Chris were told interactions with animals might help and Laura expressed an interest in horses, so, they found a program in horse and animal husbandry. After realizing that being around the horses was therapeutic for Laura and themselves, the couple leased a horse, eventually purchasing it.
When Chris retired from the U.S. Navy, the family moved to Western Massachusetts to be closer to Shannon’s family. Rather than board their horse nearby, the family decided to go all in and bought the farm. Cloverbrook Farm is a true family affair. Shannon’s sister Pam Adamski is the event coordinator and brother-in-law Anth Adamski oversees maintenance.
Several types of animals can be found at Cloverbrook Farm, including horses, a pony, two pigs, chickens and a small army of Nigerian dwarf goats. Chris said, “What’s so cool is that they’re our goats, they’re our horses. So, if we want to take them out and bring them somewhere, we can do that.”
The Gallaghers have taken their goats and horses to visit senior centers, assisted living facilities and skilled nursing care homes, including the Holyoke Soldier’s Home. They have brought their pony, Scout, and some of their goats to the Hampden Public Library for children to experience the animals while Shannon reads books themed around them. The Gallaghers even brought a horse to Springfield’s emergency dispatch call center.
“It’s really all about giving back to the community,” Chris said.
The programs Shannon is most excited about are the educational ones, including home-school classes. The grades K-6 classes involve reading a book about a different animal each month and then interacting with that animal.
The farm also runs a working student program in which the students help at the farm. Of the 20 working students, about 60% of the students are homeschooled and come to the farm every day of the week for two hours. Public school students who participate in the program come on the weekends. Many of the teens in the program are from the Springfield area.
“Most people don’t have this kind of environment,” Chris said about some of the working students. “They’ve never seen anything like this.” He pointed out that the working students have seen goats being born and watched the castration and the disbudding processes. One student even came to the veterinarian when a goat had to be euthanized. “They’re learning some tough life lessons,” he said of the working students.
Working at the farm provides the students with volunteer experience that can be added to a college application or resume. “This is an opportunity to find out what interests them,” Chris said, adding that the students are dedicated, but so are the parents who transport them and wait two hours to bring them home.
Cloverbrook Farm has worked with charitable organizations and businesses in the area to create unique events. The farm hosted an adaptive goat yoga event, raising $2,800 for CHD’s All In: Barrier-Free Recreation program. It also partnered with Kelly Phillips of Totally Adaptive, a nonprofit that offers accessible and adaptive fitness and yoga classes.
On Aug. 1, the farm hosted its second well-attended “Goatflix and Chill” event, setting up a screen and speakers in an enclosed grassy area. The event is bring-your-own-chair or blanket, but the farm provides the goats, which like to snuggle with families as they watch the movie. The first Goatflix and Chill was so successful, they used the proceeds to invest in a larger screen and an additional speaker, Chris said.
The farm offers pig yoga, a mommy-and-me workout and pony ride and teen meetups. “Animals are a universal icebreaker,” Shannon said. “One of the animals will do something funny and they all laugh and then start talking.”
Cloverbrook Farm also offers private farm tours, art classes and a small party venue for birthdays of up to 20 children, and weddings or baby showers.
In the past two years, Cloverbrook Farm has become a part of the wider East Longmeadow community. Cafeteria workers at one of the area schools save food scraps to give to the goats. People donate pumpkins and an area Scout troop that offers end-of-season Christmas tree pickups bring the fir trees to Cloverbrook Farm. Both pumpkins and firs are treats the animals enjoy that also act as natural dewormers, Shannon explained.
“It’s that kind of community support” that the family appreciates, Shannon said. “Every little thing.”
Running the farm is a lot of work. Shannon admitted, “We had no clue how big a job a barn would be.” While her parents operate the farm, 15-year-old Laura, has taken on the role of barn manager, feeding and caring for the animals that the family owns, as well as five horses that are boarded there. Still, she said she would not have it any other way.
“I would rather this than the house with the pool we had in Virgina,” said Laura. She said that she does not feel like she misses out on anything due to her responsibilities on the farm. “It’s a little different. [Other teens] get up for school. I get up to go to the barn. I do what a lot of teenagers do, but better.”
Laura, who is homeschooled, even worked one of the goats into an assignment. She fell in love with a black-and-white kid named Moo who was slated to be sold. She researched the cost of care and feeding for the little goat, along with how much he would sell for and created a Powerpoint presentation about why she should be allowed to keep him. She then drew up a contract and bought the goat from her parents. Moo has his own responsibilities, though. He is the face of Cloverbrook Farm’s social media accounts.
People can follow the antics of Moo on TikTok, @Moo_the_goat. For more information about the farm and its programs, visit cloverbrookfarmllc.com.
