The Bloods have two sons, both of whom are in the farming business. “I didn’t realize it until now,” Blood said, sitting by the windows that overlook the barn-red structure now with a roof that is soot-covered and caved. But keeping the farming tradition alive has been important to Barney Blood, who was born and raised on the land. “Thank God that all got out,” she said of the holiday supplies.īarney and Doris Blood said doing business has become harder over the years because of the amount of paperwork required under slaughterhouse regulations. Before Christmas, the parking lot was jammed with shipping trucks and farmers’ and shoppers’ vehicles, she said. Ott, who brings his cows to Blood Farm occasionally, said the farm has earned its reputation for clean, swift and humane processing of meat and the overall quality of service.ĭoris Blood said the farm also takes orders for its ham from across the country during the holiday season. On the other hand, she said, her other customers have begun calling to stock up on her beef out of fear that it might become more difficult to get their hands on locally grown beef for a while.įor Matheson, the shutdown of Blood Farm means she has to drive farther to get her cows processed.Īlso, “it means we don’t do business with our close friends,” Matheson said of the Blood family. But with Blood Farm, her biggest customer, gone, she many need to slow that cycle. Spring Brook owner Fran Matheson said she needs to raise calves and sell older ones on an ongoing basis to provide a steady supply of beef. Spring Brook also has some cows processed by Blood weekly for the store. Some farms with big herds depend heavily on Blood Farm, including Spring Brook in Littleton, which sells some cows to Blood Farm every week for its butcher shop. “It’s bigger than just the local community,” Sally Smith, owner of Common View Farm in Groton, said of Blood’s clientele, which comes from all over New England. “It’s a real blow to the town,” John Ott, president of Groton Historical Society, said of the farm that started in the mid-1700s. They couldn’t fathom the idea of Blood Farm being gone forever. Then, the phone started ringing, and people began dropping in. They are without jobs at the moment, Blood said.īlood, who is recovering from recent heart surgery, wasn’t sure about what he wanted to do immediately after the fire. Without a place to butcher or store meat, however, the business could not operate.īlood Farm employs 15 to 20 people, depending on the season, and many are part-timers. The free-standing slaughterhouse, where 100 or more animals, including cows, pigs, sheep and goats, come through each week, escaped damage. The cinder-block and metal roof made it more difficult to put out the fire, Bosselait said Sunday. The structure that caught fire dates back to the early 1970s and had a smoke room, meat-processing facility and a retail shop in it. The cause of the fire remained under investigation Monday, but Fire Chief Joseph Bosselait has said the fire started in a smoke room. All other specimen collection center locations are closed on these days.The day after his business was reduced to ashes in a fire, Blood began thinking about rebuilding.įirefighters descended on Blood Farm, a 77-acre farm at 94 West Main St., in West Groton, early Sunday morning after a passer-by noticed the fire and reported it. The John Cuming Building Specimen Collection Center at Emerson Hospital, the Westford Specimen Collection Center, and the Groton Specimen Collection Center are open limited hours on Presidents Day, Patriots Day, Columbus Day and the day after Thanksgiving. Westford Health Center, 133 Littleton Road, Route 110, Westford, MAĪll specimen collection center locations are closed on the following holidays: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Please call 97 to schedule your lab work.Įmerson Medical at Sudbury, 490 Boston Post Road, Sudbury, MA Groton Health Center, 100 Boston Road, Groton, MA Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday: 8:30 a.m.Specimen Collection Center, 54 Baker Avenue Extension, Suite 202, Concord, MA Specimen Collection Center, John Cuming Building, 1st floorġ31 Old Road to Nine Acre Corner, Concord, MA Complete contact information is provided below: For your convenience, specimen collection centers are located throughout the communities Emerson Health serves.
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