by William McNuttThe 2012 Ohio State Fair was

unique in several respects: there wasa small net profit, daily crowds wereup significantly and 25 direct marketvendors sold grown and processed in-Ohio products ranging from smallfruits and vegetables to jams, jellies,salsas, and sauces made from locallygrown produce. Vendors were associ-ated with Celebrate Local, a non-prof-it offshoot of the three monthSummer Easton Market situated in a

high-end shopping center. This wasthe idea of Heidi Maybruck, who ismarket manager of the weekly sea-sonal sale, in order to extend therange of product sold year round in apermanent location in Easton Mall.Celebrate Local was asked to repre-sent Ohio Proud, the marketing armof Ohio Department of Agriculture, atthe state fair by setting up a marketlocation for the 12 day run at the fair.Many vendors reported sold out daysfor their fresh produce.

Celebrate Local site in the mall isprovided rent free bySteiner and Associates,marketing agency forEaston Mall, in part-nership with theEaston CommunityFoundation, plusColumbus Economicand CommunityDevelopment Institute.They are open andstaffed by volunteerleadership during Mallshopping hours, usual-ly from 10-9 daily.Currently, fresh produce is limited tothe seasonal outdoor market, with theinterior location confined to processedgoods and crafts such as Ohio wines,maple syrup, jams, handcrafted can-dles, and bakery goods. Many of the

seasonal fresh and local vendorsmake deliveries of their processedproduct to Celebrate Local, where it issold on consignment, providinganother source of income to directmarketers.

With the advent of high tunnelgrowing, along with plastic culturethat allows planting of specialty cropsup to a month earlier, there may bean opportunity to double the season-al exposure of fresh produce toEaston Mall patrons. Even though

sweet corn and tomatoes could beavailable in November, they wouldarrive more protected from the ele-ments, which means the sales loca-tion must be protected from the ele-ments. Local Matters in Wooster sellsproduce in their similar site locationas long as it can be made available,on the same type of consignmentmechanism, easily done through com-puterized labels assigned to both pro-duce and growers. Wooster is alsohelped to stay open year round by alimited service restaurant, which will

not be offered byCelebrate Local, whatwith 4-5 full scalerestaurants locatedin the immediatearea.

Heidi Maybrucksays Easton has pur-veyors coming fromall over Ohio: Toledo,Akron, Cleveland andCincinnati, up to 150miles away for theNortheast quadrantof the state, where

produce harvest takes place mostlyless than 24 hours prior to selling.This type of location brings customerswhose shopping is usually an inciden-tal part of the trip — perhaps an after-thought when they note taped off

streets surrounding what is usually aparking lot, now full of direct market-ing vendors who are there one day aweek. More dedicated patrons mightgo to produce auctions, where whole-sale grocery buyers and restaurantchefs often gather, as well as moreconventional customers seeking bulkpurchases for canning or freezing.

But these auctions are just that:prospective customers bidding,though prices are pretty well pre-determined by grocery proprietors orfarm stand operators who come hereto replenish or add to their own sup-plies. You might see customers herewho are buying large quantities tosupply stall space at Easton or otherlocations of the approximately 200direct market vendors in CentralOhio. While there are one or twoorganic growers at the Summer mar-ket, along with several offerings atCelebrate Local that have beenprocessed from organically culturedoriginal product (baked goods, salsa,sauces, jams and jellies), this is notas big an issue as the assurance ofenvironmentally friendly culturalmethods, such as sustainable farm-ing that use as few chemicals as pos-sible, and especially the concept ofhaving the specialty produce cropsgrown near where it will be sold andconsumed. These are the most impor-tant items considered by direct mar-ket consumers.

Without question the number oforganic users has grown rapidly; inthe last 15 years, U.S. sales went

from just under $4 billion to nearly$25 billion in sales volume. Butorganic rules forbidding syntheticpesticides or fertilizers, or routine useof growth hormones or antibioticsmean that organically produced foodproducts yield less, cost more to buy,and seldom look as good in the show-case as those subject to the forbiddenapplications. A recent study complet-ed by Stanford University researchershas caused a great deal of controver-sy in the organic camp by finding thatthere is little or no difference in thenutritional value of organic vs. non-organic cultural methods. Pesticidelevels of all foods fall within accept-able safety limits, as set by U.S. Foodand Drug Administration.

No consistent differences werefound in health benefits such as vita-min content, specifically in milk nodifference was found in protein or fatcontent. Researchers pointed outthere are plenty of reasons to contin-ue “eating organic,” such as tastepreference or concern about the effectof chemicals on the environment, orworries about animal welfare.Environmental friendly cultural prac-tices are certainly emphasized in pro-duction of local fresh food, where cus-tomers often visit specialty crop grow-ers to see for themselves what goes onin the growing of food they will even-tually buy. There seems little questionthat direct marketing of locally grownfood crops, sold soon after harvesting,will continue and expand in thefuture.

Ohio State Fair features fresh produce at Celebrate Local

Without questionthe number of organic users hasgrown rapidly; in thelast 15 years, U.S.sales went from justunder $4 billion tonearly $25 billion insales volume.

Interior of Celebrate Local with volunteer Lyn Stan proudly demonstrating the supplyof year-long local products.

Final sales of the season for Easton Market still saw crowds gathering to shop forfresh, local produce. Many of the vendors will be providing processed products fromtheir summer sales to the winter location.

Photos by William McNutt

by Kelly GatesFrom more than 30 varieties

of apples to a Golden GoatBridge, hayrides and an all-American restaurant in abarn, Apple Holler ofSturtevant, WI has it all. Theagri-tainment business hasbeen around for over 25years.

According to founder, DavidFlannery, it all began with anold barn and an abandonedorchard.

“I was giving a talk atchurch when an older gentle-man approached me andasked if I would be interestedin buying his property,” saidFlannery. “I had a backgroundin the restaurant industry andthe man thought I could turn

his cow barn into a uniqueeatery. The idea intrigued meand after my wife Vicki and Italked it over, we decided thatit was the perfect fit for ourfamily.”

Shortly after purchasing theproperty from the purveyor,the Flannerys began plantingroughly 1,000 trees per year,steadily replacing the oldorchard plot by plot. The barnwas transformed into AppleHoller Restaurant, whichboasts the tagline “asAmerican as Apple Pie.”Various activities were addedto the mix to further fortify thefoundation of the new busi-ness.

“We wanted to create anentertainment farm. We choseto strictly have pick-your-ownapples, not apples by thepound, and everything herehas and will always be aboutthe total experience for ourguests,” Flannery told CountryFolks Grower. “Our byline is,‘where you can pick your ownmemories.’”

Before the fields were plant-ed each year, David and Vickispent much of their time

attending growing associationmeetings and frequentingWisconsin State extensionseminars to learn more aboutwhat to grow and how to growit.

They talked with other grow-ers about the most popularvarieties of apples. They alsopicked up on the on-farmactivities that drew the mostattention from other farmers’guests.

“We took a lot away fromthese networking events,”noted Flannery. “We now havea farm park with goats thatcan walk the Golden GoatBridge, plus pigs, rabbits,chickens, ducks, pony rides, astraw mountain, several

mazes and lots of children’splayground equipment.”

Apple Holler extended itspick-your-own experience toinclude a couple of other fruitand vegetables. Along with 30kinds of apples, people canpick peaches and pears. Asmall organic garden alsoenables summertime schoolgroups to pick super sugarsnap peas, cherry tomatoesand a host of other vegetablesfor an all around on-the-farmexperience.

The farm allows the kids topick their own produce. Theyalso sample homemade salsaand other fresh and healthyfoods as they learn aboutgrowing.

Many of these same gardenvegetables make their way intomeals at Apple HollerRestaurant.

“We run specials on pan-cakes throughout the year,with strawberry pancakes inJune, peach pancakes inAugust and pumpkin pan-cakes in October, using ingre-dients straight from the farm,”said Flannery. “Some of the

vegetables from the kids’ gar-den also make it into therestaurant’s vegetable of theday offerings, like zucchiniand squash. We also make ourown smoked meats, includingribs, pulled pork, prime riband even smoked meatloaf forthe menu on Wednesdays.”

In the fall, visitors can alsopurchase food from the farm’soutdoor grill service. Standarditems like hot dogs, brats andcorn on the cob are staplesthere. People can make theirown caramel apples. U-pickpumpkins are available at thistime of year too.

There are also events sched-uled throughout the year tokeep ‘em coming back timeand time again. Easter is thefirst annual event to takeplace. It involves a costumedEaster Bunny, an Easter egghunt, story telling with PeterCottontail, a hayride throughthe “Enchanted Forest” andcookies and cider for all whoattend.

“We have a Christmas pro-gram called ‘Mrs. Claus andthe Littlest Reindeer’ as well,”said Flannery. “We bring inlive reindeer for people to takepictures with at no cost. Thekids get cookies and cider, ahayride through the orchard-ifthe weather allows-and a littlegift, like a holiday pencil.”

Apple Holler is such a local-ly renowned place, Americannational VP candidate PaulRyan stopped by with his fam-ily recently while on the cam-paign trail. According toFlannery, the political figurewas searching for a much-needed family outing with hiswife and children when he wastold about Apple Holler and itsfull menu of activities.

The farm’s security wasalerted of Ryan’s arrival andwithin minutes, an entourageof Secret Servicemen and acaravan of other related indi-viduals arrived at the farm fora day filled with family-focused, farm experiences.

The focus is certainly onfamily at Apple Holler. Davidand Vicki not only establishedthe agritainment operationback in 1987, four of their fivechildren are actively involvedin the endeavor as well.

“One of our daughters helpswith bookkeeping andaccounting and one of oursons helps supervise the farmpark activities,” explainedFlannery. “Another son coordi-nates parking and securityand our other son is theevening manager at therestaurant.”

Vicki spends much of hertime overseeing the bakeryand retail sales. In the fall, the

main task at hand is makingaround 500 pies per weekend.The recipes have been handeddown from her grandmotherand are every bit thereal deal. The crust ismade from scratchand includes lard,not butter. It is rolledby hand. Then, anassortment of applesare added as filling,with the mix chang-ing from day to day,depending on what isripe.

Apple Holler sellsjams, jellies, syrupsand other productsproduced by a pri-vate label manufac-turer. The Apple HollerRestaurant’s salad dressingsand barbeque sauce are alsoon the list of offerings soldthere.

With so many products andactivities, the Flannery familyhas always had something tooffer everyone who visits the

farm. At times, there is moreto see and do than one canpossibly take in.

Consequently, David hasdecided toscale backslightly inu p c o m i n gyears.

“We’ve donea lot ofe x p a n d i n gover the lastfive to 10years andover the nextfive to 10, weplan to con-solidate a lit-tle, justenough so we

can focus on what we do best,”he said. “Our focus has alwaysbeen growing apples and run-ning a restaurant that fea-tures apples on the menu.Anything you can do to anapple, we do, which is whatwill always be the core of ourbusiness.”

Apple Holler

These twin girls are customers who are happy to show how muchthey love Apple Holler apples!

Photos by Kelly Gates

Employee Shawn Flannery, who is also Dave’s nephew, cheerily displays an assortment of carmel popcorn.

Apple Holler hired a local actor to be Jack Frost for a day aspart of their winter festival.

Apple Holler issuch a locally

renowned place,American

national VP candidate Paul

Ryan stopped bywith his familyrecently while

on the campaign trail.

by William McNuttFarm Bill 2013 will not be in effect

till well into next year, according to thepanel of Ohio State experts chargedwith explaining it to attendees at theannual Farm Science Review. Moreoften than not the current Farm Billwill be expiring as the new one comesto fruition; this year was no exception,except that Congress went home tocampaign with no new bill in sight.Ideological differences in both majorparties are primarily responsible, withmore conservative elements insistingon cuts in food stamp aid, now 80 per-cent of the current bill’s expenditures,plus more reliance on crop insurance,perhaps made mandatory for mostcrops — including specialty crop grow-ers — along with much less reliance ondirect payments to farmers. A bill hasalready passed the Senate with $23billion in cuts, the House version —now stalled — calls for $36 billionexpenditure reduction, spread over 10

years. It is expected that major provi-sions of the 2008 Bill establishing fed-eral organic standards, along withsupporting grants for direct marketingof locally produced foods, will be con-tinued, though in reduced form.

Attending his first Ohio FSR was thenew Executive VP of the OSU College ofAgriculture, Bruce McPheron.McPherson left a similar position atPenn State University, where he hadbeen active in research and teachingsince 1988, to return to his nativeOhio, where he assumed his new posi-tion on Nov. 1. McPheron is knownworld wide for research in insect genet-ics, while developing new genetic toolsfor monitoring fruit fly infestation.Speaking at the annual VP luncheonfor Ohio agricultural leaders, he reiter-ated that OSU extension is a front doorto the university in every Ohio commu-nity; that the importance of agricultureto the states economy requires OSU toprovide the cutting edge science to

solve ever ongoing problems of foodsecurity, human health and food safe-ty.

Governor John Kasich and OSUPresident Gordon Gee stressed theimportance of agriculture to Ohio; a$100 billion industry employing oneout of seven in wholesaling, retailing,marketing, processing or producingfood. Kasich pointed out that in thepast year, food processors located inOhio created almost 2000 jobs whileinvesting $730 million dollars.Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsackurged the luncheon crowd to contacttheir Congressional representative andurge House passage of the Farm Bill.

The additional funding comes with acontinuation of emphasis on coopera-tion in submitting grant requests fromthree to four universities at one time,plus in many instances assurances ofcorporate support. To help meet thismandate, OSU has joined forces withPurdue and Michigan State for thisvery purpose. Areas of multiple con-centration will include such currentissues as food safety, bio energy, waterquality, waste management and ani-mal welfare. For several years statefunding for such needs as educationand local government has been indecline, with scientific research close-ly behind, and federal funding in thedrying-up stage, forcing universities tocoordinate with each other in order toget “more bang for the buck.” Emphasis on more urban farming to providelocal foods sold directly to consumerswas incorporated in the last Farm Bill,and will certainly continue to beupdated in university sponsoredresearch. A 26 acre plot in Cleveland iscurrently the nation’s largest urbanfarm district supplying fresh produceto local inhabitants, with surplus pro-duction going to local food banks. Twoeducational meetings at FSR lent fur-ther emphasis to supplying local foodfor restaurant chefs, plus a reportfrom the Food Service Director ofSandusky City Schools, who are feed-ing 1300 students each day.

Tom Freitas is able to obtain neededfresh produce from three local growersfor a good part of the school year.Thanks to the use of high tunnel cul-ture, tomatoes are available for sixmonths of the year, while the schoolcan switch to root crops, such as pota-toes, beets and turnips during thewinter months, with other raw materi-al bought as needed at Amish auc-tions. He stressed that food servicedirectors who want to take this routehave to get out in the community tomake contacts with growers, not sit intheir office behind a computer check-

ing bids to see what they can havedelivered from a wholesale source.High schoolers pay $2.50 for eachcafeteria meal, elementary pupils getby for 25 cents less.

At present about 40 percent of food-service directors in Ohio buy from localgrowers, nearly all said they would ifmore sources were more accessible.Selling to schools means meeting localsanitation standards with city andcounty inspection, a reason many donot buy more perishable items. Thesame precautions are necessary if localproduce is sold to restaurants, a pri-mary reason Ohio growers are institut-ing a voluntary program through OhioProduce Growers MarketingAssociation to assure food safety stan-dards are met when selling to retailersplus directly marketing to consumers.The Ohio Produce MarketingAgreement has been incorporated intolegislation recently signed by GovernorKasich and will enable growers toorganize voluntary marketing initia-tives for fruits, vegetables and othercommodities, which will subjectimproper food safety handling prac-tices to mandatory inspection, espe-cially important to commercial foodpreparers — such as chefs — whomust meet strict sanitation standardsto offset the threat of their kitchensbeing shut down until unsafe practicesare corrected.

Chefs want year round guaranteedsupply, but will compromise on sea-sonality, are willing to use, and evenlooking for, new types of ethnic pro-duce. They do not want too much pre-packaging, in order to keep theiremphasis on “green.” Growers lookingfor this type of buyer must becomefamiliar with food labeling laws, beingvery careful with claims such as natu-ral, organic, or gluten free. MarkMechling, Muskingum CountyExtension Educator, who moderatedthis session, reported that Ohio isamong the top ten states in number ofdirect marketers, with approximately600. Breakfast trade is expanding, theX and Y segment of the younger gener-ation are attracted by casual, spur-of-the-moment dining with emphasis onnaturally grown, environmentally sus-tainable cultural methods, and espe-cially by increasing their consumptionof locally grown fruits and vegetables.That, coupled with the fact their babyboomer parents, 76 million strong, willcontrol over half of the $706 milliondollars spent on groceries in the nextfew years, assures continued supportfor “fresh and local” even as their par-ents, with their meat and potatoes phi-losophy, fade out of the picture.

The Monthly Newspaper for Greenhouses, Nurseries, Fruit & Vegetable Growers

Country Folks

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Country Folks

Photo courtesy of Sugargrove Tree FarmDon Behrenson, with Blake's brothers Fred Rafeld and

Marvin Rafeld, and Blake's son Jason Rafeld help during the Christmas season.

FSR welcomes new OSU Ag VP, reports latest research

Discussion panel presenting information on 2013 Farm Bill. They included MattRoberts, Ian Shelton, and Carl Zulauf, members of OSU’s Agricultural Economics fac-ulty, specializing in agricultural policy and international trade, joined by KatharineFerguson, legislative aide to Senator Sherrod Brown.

Photo by William McNutt

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