Barbour's Fruit Farm and Market started out as a conventional, large-scale apple-growing operation. Over the past few years the farm north of Gettysburg has begun growing a variety of other produce, cut down on its use of pesticides and most recently earned certification from an international sustainable-agriculture organization.
Lee Welty, a fifth-generation farmer at the Barbour's operation in Biglerville, took over the family business after his father died from a sudden heart attack about four years ago.
It soon became clear that growing crops other than apples would be a good move financially. It would reduce the amount of pesticides needed to keep the apple trees flowering and provide a hedge against conditions that were poor for a certain fruit in a given year. “You have to be profitable to stay afloat,” Welty says. The farm now grows crops including pears, peaches and cherries.
Barbour's produce isn't designated organic, but the farm follows relevant practices. Pesticides are used as a last resort, and produce travels a short distance to market, requiring few additives to stay fresh.
The farm was recently certified for its sustainable practices by the Food Alliance, which recognizes farms throughout North America. The organization certifies farms that protect wildlife and conserve soil and water. Just three other farms in Pennsylvania have Food Alliance certification.
Welty says pursuing the designation has prompted Barbour's to consider how it operates and how it plans for the future. “It makes us look 10 steps ahead instead of two,” he says.
Source: Lee Welty, Barbour's Fruit Farm and Market
Writer: Rebecca VanderMeulen