06/01/2026
Our dad has always said “Let’s do a few things really well instead of a lot of things just okay."
For years, that meant focusing on our grain and fruit production. While others were growing sweet corn, vegetables, and dozens of other crops, we were pruning orchards, picking peaches, harvesting corn, and trying to do those things the very best we could.
This spring changed a lot of our regular plans.
On the day we opened our tulip field, temperatures dropped to 22 degrees for several hours. That freeze caused significant damage to our stone fruit crops.
Then, on the day we closed our tulip field, another freeze arrived. This time, our apples and pears felt the impact.
Before I go any further, hear me loud and clear: We WILL have fruit this season.
Some will come from our own orchards, and some from trusted farmer friends in Virginia and North Carolina, as freeze damage affected most orchards throughout the Mid-Atlantic states.
I'd certainly trade the loss of our fruit crop in a heartbeat.
But as we've worked through the disappointment and recalibrated for the season ahead, we've also discovered something unexpected.
It has been freeing - honestly. It’s like we got out of our box. Giving us the opportunity to think differently.
Opportunity to create new experiences.
Opportunity to try a few things we've talked about for years but never had the time or space to pursue.
Sweet corn is oddly one of those things.
So here they are - Adam, Eli, Jake, and Andrew - planting sweet corn for the first time today.
For Eli, a 5th-generation family member with a growing interest in agriculture, this has been something he's wanted to try for years.
This season won't look like the seasons before it.
But it sure seems like holding on to the original plan this year is less important than having the courage to plant something new.
We're grateful for you and hope you continue on this year with patience and kindness towards us and all your farmers in the region.
