From Vassar to ROTC to organics

FALLS VILLAGE — Lara Hafner ushered a visitor into a large, airy kitchen at her home on Route 7 the other day.

The kitchen opens out on a deck, and gives a view not only of the Hafner farm, but of the quarry on Sand Road.

The Hafners — Lara, husband Patrick and sons Mark (age 6) and Patrick (age 3) — can watch, from a prudent distance, the occasional explosions at the quarry.

The Hafners have been in the house for about a year. “It’s been life-changing.”

Mountainview Organic Farm has 18 acres, plus 30 more on Dublin Road that are not yet in production.

Hafner, daughter of Town Clerk Mary Palmer, grew up in Falls Village and attended the Lee H. Kellogg School and Housatonic Valley Regional High School (Class of 1999).

She went to college at Vassar, graduating in 2003, majoring in English with a minor in classical history.

Hafner joined the Connecticut National Guard at age 18, right after her freshman year at Vassar.

“I wanted some adventure, and I loved the idea of the Guard then — if there’s a natural disaster, they’re right on the scene.”

More prosaically, “I must not have had enough to do at college.”

She said she believes she was the only student at Vassar in military service at the time.

She met Patrick Hafner during her junior year, and they married.

She attended ROTC at Fordham and went into aviation, training at Fort Rucker in Alabama in 2005, while her husband, a combat engineer, was serving in Iraq for 14 months total in 2005-06.

Hafner started a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy but “lost interest.

While in the Guard she flew CH-47 Delta and UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters. She is licensed to fly commercially.

There were not a lot of female pilots during her time in the Guard. “Maybe one other.”

She retired last year with the rank of captain.

In addition to the farm, Hafner is the chairman of the town Board of Education. She became chairman “because of attrition.”

She got involved in the first place at the urging of her mother, and because “I like to know what’s going on.”

“Most people get on it because they walk into Town Hall and my mother makes them,”she said, only half kidding.

But she was more than willing to serve.

“I like to be part of the solution, rather than grumbling about problems.

“It’s important to keep the school alive,” she continued, but when asked if there could be a point when enrollment is so low that consolidation with another school, possibly Cornwall Consolidated School, would be considered, Hafner nodded and said the idea has been brought up.

If there is enough interest, or if enrollment drops to an unspecified number, “we’ll look at it.”

She urged anyone with an interest in this or any other topic to “feel free” to write a letter to the school board.

Hafner is also on the Recreation Commission and the board of the D.M. Hunt Library.

Mountainview has nine grass-fed cattle, one of which will be slaughtered this fall, and four pigs.

Next season the Hafners plan to start a very small Community Supported Agriculture business, with 20 or so clients. “We have a lot of friends from work [Windsor Locks, where Patrick Hafner works] who are interested.”

For now, the business will remain small. “It’s just me on the vegetable end. I don’t want it to get too big while the kids are really small.

“Of course, when they get a little bigger, they can work on the farm.”

After she got out of the Guard, she realized she was spending a lot of time outdoors growing things — which happens to be one of her favorite things to do.

And she wanted the boys to grow up in a farming environment.

The farmstand has been open about six weeks. Hafner said it has gone well thus far with the largely self-service stand.

“At the end of the week whatever hasn’t sold gets canned, so there is no waste.”

The reality of modern life did intrude recently, however. Hafner said somebody helped themselves to $20 from the cash box.

Now she does not keep change in the box — a sign advises customers to call the house if they need assistance — and she checks it several times per day.

And the Hafners have also installed a camera.

She didn’t let it get to her. “I was grumpy for all of a day.

“It’s too beautiful out there to dwell on that stuff.”