SACO — At the Leary Farm on Flag Pond Road, cows have been milked twice a day every day since 1947, when Jim Leary started the business.

Even so, times have changed. Leary said when he began, there were 50 dairy farms in Saco. Now his family’s farm is the only one.

The Leary family opened up their farm to the public on Sunday during Open Farm Day, which gives people a chance to visit farms throughout the state and learn about the industry. This year was the 21st annual Open Darm Say, according to a press release from the Maine Department of Agriculture.

Alison Leary, Jim’s granddaughter, gave guided tours of the farm, where three generations of the Leary family call home.

Alison joined her father, Tim Leary, in running the farm last year after graduating from Vermont Technical College with a degree in dairy farm management. Jim is now retired.

The Learys own about 100 cows and milk about 50 of them.

The cows are milked twice a day, around 6:30 a.m. in the morning and 5:15 p.m. in the evening, and the milk is sold to Oakhurst, said Alison.

The farm produces about 2,500 pounds of milk a day, said Tim.

“It’s a lot of work. You have to do it every day,” said Alison.

Despite the work, Alison said she can’t imagine living her life any other way.

“I’ve always loved animals,” said Alison. She said she especially likes cows, as each one has its own personality.

The Learys also produce their own hay to feed the cows, and they raise chickens and turkeys.

“What a great place to raise a family,” said Tim.

Running the farm has always been a family affair, and everyone pitches in, he said. Like her father, Alison grew up doing daily chores on the farm and today, Alison’s younger siblings do daily chores to help out their sister and father.

Children who are raised on a farm grow up with good work ethic, said Tim.

“You’ve really got to like what you’re doing,” said Jim, who for 24 years never missed a milking. He said he made it out to the Fryeburg Fair once a year, but other than that didn’t really travel. After Tim was old enough to run things, he said he and his wife were able to get away occasionally. However, he said he’s always been happy at the farm.

When asked why so many farms have gone out of business, Tim had a few speculations. One reason, he said, is some farms may get too big and go into debt. Another reason is lack of interest to get into the business by the younger generation. He said the last few farms he’d heard were being sold were going out of business because the next generation did not want to continue.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.