"What kind of soup do you have?" one customer asked while taking refuge from the cold drizzle in Woodman Farm Stand.

Soup? At a farm stand? In the winter?

For the fourth-generation farm on Low Street, cold weather no longer means boarding things up and waiting for spring.

"This is the second season we have stayed open year-round," co-owner Donna Millen said. "Farming is hard, and to be open only a few months of the year just doesn't cut it."

So the century-old Woodman Farm now stays open in an effort to make ends meet, a trend seen among farms across New England, according to the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources. A few miles away in Newbury, the Tendercrop Farm does the same thing.

"There has definitely been big growth in the farmers markets and farm stands across the state, with more people wanting them in their communities," department spokeswoman Lisa Capone said. "More farms are joining in the business, and several more year-round stands have opened this past year."

At the Woodman Farm, just a few hundred yards from the grocery store produce aisles on Storey Avenue, the stand features fresh vegetables, as well as other items from local vendors, like pies, milk, beef and | most popular on cold days | homemade soup.

"The hardest part of the winter is letting people know we are open and have other things in the winter," Donna Millen said.

Woodman Farm sells its own crops from fields Millen's family has farmed since the turn of the 20th century, starting with co-owner Randy Millen's great-grandfather, John Woodman.

"The farm stand may be relatively new, but the Woodmans have been in Newburyport over 100 years," Randy Millen said.

His great-grandfather bought land in Newburyport to grow vegetables and run a dairy farm, Randy Millen said.

"Corn was always our biggest crop, but we had to diversify to keep the farm alive over the years," Randy Millen said. "We still have over 100 acres of sweet corn every year and then eight to 12 acres of cold crops, tomatoes, pumpkins, etc."

But while there are more year-round farm stands popping up, the Millens don't see it as a bad thing. Going up against Tendercrop, which offers a butchery with home-raised chickens, a bakery, produce and gourmet foods may seem tough for a small farm stand, but Donna Millen says the competition is a good thing.

"There is plenty for everyone," Donna Millen said. "They do special things we don't do, and people come here for other things. It would be boring if we all offered the same things."

Mary Jordan, Director of Agricultural Development of the MDAR, notes that while only some farms choose to have farm stands or markets, all farms are busy in the winter months.