Hall Family Farm recognized
Operation has been passed down through the generations
PORT MATILDA -- Thanks to the devotion of family members, the Hall Family Farm in Halfmoon Township, founded in 1855, continues to thrive after being acquired by the family 128 years ago.
Recognized as a Century Farm during this summer's Ag Progress Days, the farm is a labor of love, said Tom Hall.
"You really have to enjoy what you are doing," said Hall, who, along with his wife Cindy, are the primary owners of the farm that has been passed down through the generations. Hall's brother, Bill Hall, and sister, Janis Goodman, are minority owners of the beef farm.
"There are many ways to make more money and have a better lifestyle than farming," Hall said, but he said the farm means a lot to him and his family.
"I think about spending time with my grandma on the farm when I was little, and I think it would really make her happy that the farm has remained in the family," Tom's son Peter Hall said. "I don't think I'll see 200 years, but hopefully my son can."
The Century Farm recognition "is a tribute and testimonial to our growth, we are quite proud that the farm has been in our family for 128 years and recognized for that," Tom Hall said.
One of the state's newest Century Farms, the Hall Family Farm was established by Thomas Wilson Way in 1855. Tom's great-grandparents Robert A. Way and Lucretia M. Fisher Way, who also owned Way Fruit Farm, bought it in 1896.
At that time, it was a 105-acre dairy farm with about 40 cows and corn, oats, hay and wheat were grown to feed the animals.
Tom's grandparents William F. Way and Elsie Way purchased the farm from Robert A. Way in 1909 and operated it until 1964, when Tom's parents William and Betty Hall took over. In 1993, Tom, Bill and Janis, along with niece and nephew Patrick and Andrea Cawley, took over the farm's operation.
The original farm house and bank barn, believed to have been built in the 1860s remain, with the farm house used as a rental property, Tom Hall said.
Tom, who worked as a lecturer and compensation manager at Penn State for 40 years, and Cindy have run the farm since 1982, when they switched from dairy to beef. They now operate an angus cow-calf operation, raising grass-fed beef.
A cow-calf operation is a method of raising beef cattle by keeping a herd of cows and producing calves for sale.
Hall Family Farm sells freezer beef to local and out-of-state customers -- by the quarter, half and whole cow.
"We don't do retail sales," Tom Hall explained, noting each year they finish processing about 10 animals and sell 10-15 feeder calves.
The beef is processed and cut to the buyer's specifications, he said. Once packaged, Tom's son picks it up and arranges for delivery.
"We have a very devoted long-time list of customers," Hall said. "As far as flavor and tenderness, there is nothing better."
Tom and Peter Hall credit the longevity of the farm to family members who work well together.
"It is the extended family," Tom Hall said. "The key is the family has worked together over many years to make this a reality. My dad worked at the Altoona railroad shops for 40 years. My mom, brother and I helped on the farm."
Hall said it takes a lot of sacrifice to operate a farm, noting he doesn't know how his dad managed it while also working at the railroad shops.
Peter Hall remembers his dad, Tom, also working full time and running the farm.
"When I was little, I remember my dad being over at the farm late at night, working with a flashlight," Peter Hall said.
"He would stop in the mornings before he took me to school and break the ice from the water troughs, so the cows would be able to drink. I would hang out in the farmhouse with my grandma while he would take care of all of the chores. He worked full time then and always took part in the sports my sister and I were in. Now that I am back on the farm, I find myself doing the same thing," Peter Hall said.
Tom Hall said the family is best known for being stewards of the land.
"We are very conscientious about what we do. We humanely handle and take care of the livestock. Our animal husbandry traits are quite high," he said.
The farm was recently committed to a land preservation easement which protects farmland from nonagricultural development.
"It will always be a farm, we couldn't have done this without the cooperation of the family," Tom Hall said.
The Halls are optimistic about the future of the farm.
"I see it continuing as a family farm operation. I don't see anything in the future that would change that. When you preserve farmland it helps solidify the future of the farming operation. The plan is for Peter to take it over," Tom Hall said.
Peter Hall said he plans to continue what generations before him have done.
"I have a 3-year-old son who loves to come with me, whether it's raking hay, feeding cows, or just stomping in mud puddles," he said. "I really hope I can keep it going, so he can have an opportunity to continue it. It really takes the generation before you making sacrifices to give you the chance."
Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 814-946-7467.