{"id":36733,"date":"2022-06-02T08:46:22","date_gmt":"2022-06-02T12:46:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=36733"},"modified":"2022-06-02T08:46:27","modified_gmt":"2022-06-02T12:46:27","slug":"county-ag-council-issues-guide-to-local-farms-and-products","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=36733","title":{"rendered":"County Ag Council issues guide to local farms and products"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Just in time for a summer full of exploring Chester County\u2019s pick-your-own farms, wineries, farmers markets and more, the Chester County Agricultural Council has issued its new Guide to Local Farm Products in Chester County<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The publication features the county\u2019s diverse array of farms and locally-grown farm products from strawberry fields to rows of radiant peonies. The guide, highlighting over 125 family-owned farms and markets, includes a map and farm addresses to make them easy to find, plus a chart that indicates what\u2019s currently in season.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn this issue, you\u2019ll learn the history behind Chadds Ford\u2019s popular peony festival, meet the county\u2019s Farmer of the Year, discover what it means to run a micro dairy and embrace the healing power of horses,\u201d said Chester County Agricultural Council Director Hillary Krummrich. \u201cWe hope the guide inspires readers to eat well, get outside more and connect with their farming neighbors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chester County Commissioners Marian Moskowitz, Josh Maxwell and Michelle Kichline emphasized the importance of farming in the county.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith approximately 31% of Chester County\u2019s land devoted to farming, agriculture is a critical industry for the regional economy and the county\u2019s sense of place,\u201d the Commissioners said. \u201cEven as the county\u2019s population continues to rapidly expand, our farming legacy endures with a great variety of farming types.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chester County ranks second among all 67 Pennsylvania counties (and 53rd<\/sup> in the U.S.) in the total value of agricultural products sold with annual sales of more than $712 million.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s Farmer of the Year, Darryl King of West Grove, is featured in the guide. He and wife, Pam, grow corn, soy, wheat, and barley, primarily for animal feed. King has become a strong advocate for the preservation of farmland.<\/p>\n

\u201cLand preservation is extremely underrated when compared to other kinds of possible land uses. What costs a community more money long term: a farmer or a housing development,\u201d he asks. \u201cI dream of leaving the land in better shape than how I got it during my turn to care for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new guide details the county\u2019s farm diversity from the 32-acre woman-owned micro dairy, Pigeon Creek Farm in Pottstown, to Styer\u2019s Peonies flower farm in Chadds Ford to Thorncroft Equestrian Center in Malvern, part of Chester County\u2019s vibrant equine community. Thorncroft is one of many therapeutic riding centers in Chester County that are listed in the guide.<\/p>\n

Pigeon Creek Farm owner Abby Bramm began fulfilling her farm dream during the pandemic in 2020 when her work hours as a Penn State Extension 4-H program assistant were reduced, and she had to make a living.<\/p>\n

\u201cRelationships are what made this business possible,\u201d Bramm said. \u201cLearning from older generations brings wisdom that you can\u2019t get in a book. As a 4-H leader, I saw lots of farms start and lots of farms have to close. It\u2019s been hugely impactful for me to have the time to think about our business plan and what we can do differently.\u201d<\/p>\n

Styer\u2019s Peonies\u2019 owner Richard Currie said the farm now grows more than 200 peony varieties\u00a0 on about 100 acres. \u201cI can\u2019t harvest all the peonies I grow; I keep wanting to plant more and more,\u201d he laughs.<\/p>\n

Currie said the pandemic and the related cancellation of events and celebrations presented challenging times for florists, but he also noted Styer\u2019s direct-to-customer business has increased significantly in recent years. \u201cStudies show that people are willing to spend extra on flowers in an economic downturn; it\u2019s an affordable luxury to cheer yourself up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

And of course, no Chester County Farm Guide, including this edition, would be complete without tips on the county\u2019s biggest crop, mushrooms, grown in and around Kennett Square.<\/p>\n

A Guide to Local Farm Products<\/em> is available free-of-charge at libraries, township and County offices, Kimberton Whole Foods locations, and at select farm stands across the county. Readers can also access the guide online at www.chescofarming.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Just in time for a summer full of exploring Chester County\u2019s pick-your-own farms, wineries, farmers markets and more, the Chester County Agricultural Council has issued its new Guide to Local Farm Products in Chester County. The publication features the county\u2019s diverse array of farms and locally-grown farm products from strawberry fields to rows of radiant […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36732,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[13911,13912,13422],"class_list":["post-36733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-chester-county-agricultural-council","tag-farm-products","tag-guide"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=36733"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36733\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36734,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36733\/revisions\/36734"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/36732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}