Iconic Simsbury Farm Honored For Longevity

Connecticut Department of Agriculture

SIMSBURY, CT — A local farm was recently honored by the state for its longevity and productivity over the decades.

Rosedale Farms and Vineyards, located at 25 E. Weatogue St. in Simsbury, was named the 2025 Century Farm Award recipient, selected by the Connecticut Agricultural Information Council (CAIC).

It was honored during Plant Science Day hosted by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Aug. 6.

The Century Farm Award is given to a farm that has been in a family operation for more than 100 years and has "outstanding potential to be a successful business for another 100 years," according to the state.

In 1920, Morris and Minnie Epstein, who had immigrated from Eastern Europe a few years earlier, moved from New York City, where Morris Epstein was a painter, to Simsbury to try his hand at farming.

They bought a 40-acre dairy/tobacco farm and, having no farming experience, it was a “leap of faith," according to the state Department of Agriculture.

They decided to call the farm Rosedale after their youngest daughter, Rose.

In 1927, Morris fell from a silo and died. At the age of 16, Louis Epstein — the Epsteins' son — took over the farm.

Over the years, additional farmland was purchased, and in total, there are 110 acres, 60 of which are farmed and 5 acres of vineyard.

The farm has stayed in the family since, and it is a "thriving vineyard," as well as a farm growing a wide variety of crops. There's also a bakery on site and several other features.

Nominations for the Century Farm Award will reopen in February 2026 and will be due by May 31, 2026. To learn more about past Century Farm recipients in Connecticut, visit the CAIC website.

For more information on Roseland Farms & Vineyards, click on this link.