—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 14,1970 90 Ken and Eleanor Markey, By Joyce Bopp Staff Correspondent YORK-“When I was seven, my parents began taking me along to tend market, recalls Ken Markey.” “They gave me a box to sit on and told me to. stay there until market was over,” he adds, chuckhng. “My daddy taught me to make change by pretending to buy things from me.” That childhood m froduction to the market business evolved into a life long career for Markey. Today, Ken and his wife Eleanor hold the honor of tending stand, longer than any other vendor at down town’s Central Market, and in late August they celebrated the fortieth an niversary of doing business at the historic York land mark. The Markey’s 60-acre orchard and vegetable operation is located just a few miles south of the city on Indian Rock Dam Road. It was purchased shortly after their marriage and is Just a mile or two from Ken’s boyhood home, today operated by his brother, Dwight, who also carries on the family market tradition. While hill-time fanning in any commodity is hectic at times, the grueling schedule demanded by the fresh market business is never ending. Not only must fields be tilled and tended, but the produce must be harvested at just the peak of per fection, packed up late'at night, or very early pre dawn darkness, and be at tractively displayed on the sales stand by six or seven in the morning. That’s the schedule for four days each week at the Markey farm. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays find the family at the Central Market, while Friday is the time for sales at the county’s newest facility, Eastern Market. “Eleanor’s in sales, and I’m in production,’’ Markey grins, and it’s a management arrangement that’s apparently worked well. While his wife is busy with the steady flow of customers that visit the stand, Ken travels back and forth, keeping supplies of freshly picked produce on hand. Benefittmg from this dedication is the food buyer who can pick out a dozen ears of sweet com or boxes of strawberries that have been picked and whisked to the sales stand within the hour Buyers at the Markey business find a variety of fresh goods, with warm weather offerings like peaches, tomatoes, can taloupes, eggplants and peppers Cool Fall dav c idd pears and cabbage Glamola m a rainbow of colors is another speciality that’s grown for market sales along with the vegetable crops Even imd-winter cold and snow doesn’t stop the hardy breed of fanners who tend to the fresh food needs of the discriminating shopper. Neither Ken or Eleanor could recall ever missing a market since the opening of forty years at market Customers return to Ken and Eleanor Markey’s stand at arear farmers’ markets for home-grown specialities like honey, munchy apples and old fashioned applebutter made with lots of cider. the Eastern facility 20 years ago, and absences at the Central Market in forty years have been almost unknown. “Snow doesn’t keep many of the customers away,” she notes. “You’d be amazed at how many still show up to make their regular pur chases.” Mainstay crops for the winter sales are bushels of apples and potatoes and the constant supply of eggs produced from the flocks to the laying house. The Markeys take a special pride in offering only home grown produce at their family stand. By avoiding the use of shipped goods or outside purchases, they can more closely monitor the high quality of foods that customers have come to expect. In true farm-family fashion, the three Markey children grew up behind the stand and today still help out with the customer sales. Their dad seems to remember, though that “they didn’t sit quite as still on the box” as he did as a child. Son Ronald, the oldest, is a partner in the' family business. He lives with his family in the big farmhouse, while Ken and Eleanor have added a new home high atop a hill overlooking the rolling orchards and rows of ripening vegetables. Daughters Nancy and Barbara have their own families, but are frequent assistants on busier market days. Seven grandchildren now compliment the Markey family, and some of the older ones also pitch m and help keep the market wheels running smoothly Sandy, Ron’s oldest daughter, is involved in farmer consumer public relations not only at market, but as the current reigning Penn sylvania Apple Queen. The lure of market has its own special charm and brings busloads of delighted tourists through the huge old downtown Central establishment. They rave over the jars of golden honey, homemade breads and delicacies, crisp vegetables, and fresh-cut meats nestled on beds of shining crushed ice. “If you get out of York or Lancaster Counties, our type of farmer’s market is a rarity,” Markey insists. “It’s part of the area’s heritage and originated in. the thrifty, business-minded farm people who settled here.” Although there have not really been too many changes in the market business in her forty years of involvement, Eleanor is aware of one difference that upsets her. “People complain more about the cost of food," she' says, recalling many who point out that they once paid only a few cents for apples or eggs. “I remind them that they no longer buy a pair of shoes for $1.98 either.” Ken, too, gets frustrated with glaring headlines pointing out food cost in creases of a fraction of a American egg promotion summary noted PARK RIDGE, 111. - Calling it the “Reggie Jackson of the Egg In dustry’s World Senes,” American Egg Board Chairman Donald J Long said the success of their advertising and promotion program will result in in creased. sales and bottom line profits Spekamg at the 49th Fact Finding Conference, Houston, Long said the National program should encourage individual ad vertising and promotion programs within the in dustry. In addition to the AEB advertising program, Long said he felt that other major factors contributed to a bright future for the in dustry. “I believe the real ex citement in the shell egg industry’s future comes in three interrelated areas - percent, when wage set tlements frequently total to several percent and may be completely ignored by media and consumers alike. Traditions have a way of slowly dying and the families that tend market fear the eventual demise of this particular way of direct selling. Current trends are making it more and more difficult for small labor intensive family farms to compete with more mechanized and impersonal food production. In all the years of at tending market, what is it that the Markeys recall the most fondly? ‘■’Why, getting up at 5 a.m. every Saturday, of course!" gulps Ken. And, if the day ever comes that farmers’ markets are nothing more than an ob scure note in a history book those early every-Saturday risings just might have had something to do- with the disapperance of a way of life. more significant today than at any other tune during the past 30 years - new con venience products, in creasing consumption, ana promotion and advertising,” he said Long predicted the egg industry would continue to regain lost consumers through the realization that eggs are still one of nature’s most perfect foods Other market expansion. Long said, "will be guaranteed by new con venience egg products and promotion and advertising of all our products in and out of the shell.” The AEB has completed their first successful year of national advertising and promotion, Long said. The AEB will continue their aggressive television and magazine advertising campaigns. LOOK FOR ADAMS 09. O.C. RICE, INC. Biglerville, PA' 717-677-8135 YINGLING’S IMPLEMENT RDI Gettysburg, PA 717-359-4848 BERKS CO. - N H.VIICKER 4 SONS, INC, Maxatawny 215-683-7252 STANLEY A. KLOPP, INC Bernville, PA 215-488-1500 MILLER EQUIPMENT Bechtelsville, PA 215 845 2911 SHARTELSVILLE FARMSERVICE RDI, Hamburg, PA 215 488 1025 , H Damei Wenger, Prop ZIMMERMAN'S FARM SERVICE Bethel, PA 717 933-4114'"" BRADFORD CO ALLIS HOLLOW EQUIP RDI, Rome, PA 717-247-2601 CARL L. PIERCE RD2, Columbia Cross Roads, PA 717-297-3513 WYNNE’S GARAGE ‘ Canton, PA 717-673-8456 BUCKS CO. CJ. WONSIDLER BROS. Trumbauersville Road - Quakertown, PA 18951 215-536-1935 - PAUL HISTAND CO., INC. 397 North Main Street Doylestown, PA 215-348-9041 CECIL CO. AG INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT CO. ' Rising Sun, MD 301-658^5568 CHESTER CO, CHAS. J. McCOMSEY 4 SONS Hickory Hill, PA 215-932-2615 STOLTZFUS FARM SERVICE Cochranville, PA 215-593-5280 M.S. YEARSLEY & SONS West Chester, PA 215-696-2990 CLINTON CO. DUNKLE & GRIEB Mill Hall. PA 717-726-3115 COLUMBIA CO ORANGEVILLE FARM EQUIPMENT Orangeville, PA 717-683-5311 WILLIAM F WELLIVER Jerseytown, PA 717 437 2430 CUMBERLAND CO. ERNESTSHOVER FARM EQUIPMENT 19 West South St Carlisle, PA 717 249 2239 DAUPHIN CO. SWEIGARD BROS RD3, Halifax, PA 717 896 3414 FRANKLIN CO. CHAMBERSBURG FARM SERVICE, INC 975 S Mam St Chambersburg, PA 717 264 3533 . MEYERS IMPLEMENTS, INC Greencastle, PA 717-597 2176 LEBANON CO HEISEY FARM EQUIP? , INC WALTER G. COALE, INC ROI, Jonestown, PA Churchville, MO 21028 717-865-4526 301 734-7722 UMBERGERS MILL RD4, Lebanon (Fontana), PA 717-867-5161 ROY H. BUCH, INC. Ephrata, RD2 7-17-859-2441 A.B.C. GROFF, INC. New Holland, PA 717-354-4191 A.L. HERR&BRO. Quarryville, PA 717-786-3521 LANDIS BROS., INC. Lancaster. PA 717 393 3906 LONGENECKER FARM SUPPLY Rheems, PA 717-367-3590 N.G HERSHEY & SON Manheim, PA 717 665-2271 LEHIGH CO. C.J. WONSIDLER BROS Jet Rt 309 and 100 Pleasant Corners, PA 215 767 7611 LYCOMING CO. RICE FARM SUPPLY. INC. Jersey Shore, PA " 717-3981391 WENTZ FARM SUPPLIES Route 29 Palm, PA 215-679-7164 GEORGE V. SEIPLE &.SON Easton, PA 215 258 7146 IBERLAND IRTHI MECKLEY’S LIMESTONE PRODUCTS. INC. Herndon, PA 717-758-3915 SCHUYLKILL CO. L.t. ECKROTH FARM EQUIP., INC. New Ringgold. PA - 717-943-2367 STANLEY S FARM SERVICE _ RD, Klingerstown, PA 717-648-2088 SNYDER CO. ROYER’S FARM SERVICE RDI, Winfield New Berlm-Middleburg Hwy. 717-837-3201 TIOGA CO. CANYON IMPLEMENT. INC Mansfield, PA 717-724-2731 WAYNE CO. MARSHALL MACHINERY Honesdale, PA 717 729-7117 WYOMING CO ACE-JURISTA, INC Tunkhannock, PA 717 836-2610 YORK CO AIRVILLE ?ARM SERVICE Airvifle, PA 717 862-3358 GEORGE N GROSS, INC RD2, Dover, PA 717 292-1673 M&R EQUIPMENT, INC New Park. PA 717 993 2511 CARROLLCO. MD WERTZ GARAGE. INC 4132 E Mam St LmNrro, MD' 301 374 26/2 FREDERICK CO..MD KNOTT N GEISBERT, INC RD2, Frederick, MD 301 662-3800 HARFORD CO.. MD
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