‘Pumpkin Town’
(Continued from Page 1)
ries. The Masons increased
strawberry and melon pro
duction and constructed
bigger farm stands.
All along, the farm
market continued to ad
vertise its existence. “You
have to have your name in
the public all the time, so they
know who you are,” said
Mason.
Additional changes were
made, including the addition
of a greenhouse. People still
love to visit a greenhouse,
Mason noted. The Masons
added an ice cream stand at
the market and other items.
Mason soon realized he
wasn’t in the business of sell
ing produce, but entertain
ment. They began to host
school groups, including kin
dergarten classes. Now they
host about 5,000-6,000 school
kids a year.
Eventually, the perma
nent farm market was con
structed about eight years
ago on Peninsula Drive,
about six miles from down
town Erie, near a previous lo
cation once leased. The other
smaller market is about 14
miles from the center of Erie.
The Masons manage
about 100 acres of grapes, in
cluding 50-80 acres of cus
tom-pick grapes. They
purchase produce, when pos
sible, from other farms.
Mason spoke about
some pitfalls in managing a
permanent farm market site.
First, he said, don’t build
a market in the middle of
summer, at the height of the
season when you are already
too busy, he noted. Don’t use
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a bare cement floor. “Cover it
with a nice industrial tile,” he
said, which doesn’t create
dust and can be easily
cleaned.
And work closely with
other enterprises in the area
to promote food and farming.
Mason Farms works closely
with the McDonald’s Restau
rant next door and hosts
Easter egg hunts and other
events.
“Display flowers every
where in the spring,” Mason
said. Display plenty of hang
ing baskets. Get involved in
landscaping displays at vari
ous home shows to display
farm market name. Host var
ious farm market commodity
festivals, including
strawberry and pumpkin
events. Hosts special events
and contests. Mason even
conducts a watermelon seed
spitting contest. Educate and
entertain the young, he
noted. They will be with you
the rest of their lives.
During October’s Pump
kin Town USA celebration,
not only are there dressed-up
pumpkins, but the farm
market hosts a petting zoo,
climbing wall, concession
stand with lots of apple cider
sipper cups, and lots of other
entertainment for the family.
At Christmastime, the
farm market sells wreaths
and Christmas trees. “We
display our trees on pegs,
with more than 300 trees
standing all at one time,”
Mason said.
The farm sells Fraser firs
as high as 16 feet for $l6O a
piece. The farm pays about
$BO-$lOO a piece for the large
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Mason Farms has a variety of ways to dress pumpkins, adopting ideas from
films, cartoons, fairytales, and other sources.
trees.
As an added benefit,
Mason Farms is involved in
many public service an
nouncements to promote
caring for children, improved
nutrition at home, spring
planting, and hints on year
long planting. The announce
ments include tips on soil
tests, proper planting tech
niques, and flower gardening
information. “Allow employ
ees to do what they do best,”
he said.
Mason said, “You have
to think like a businessman
rather than a farmer.”
Startup Markets
“We’re not in the business
of entertainment farming,
not us,” said Dale Riggs of
Stone Wall Hill Farm, LLC,
Stephentown, N.Y.
Riggs, who operates a
small farm market with her
husband Don Miles, spoke
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Grower and Marketer, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 11, 2000—Page
about her startup experiences
at the Mid-Atlantic Fruit and
Vegetable Convention in
Hershey.
At The Berry Patch of
Stone Wall Hill Farm, Riggs
put together a distinct mis
sion statement. That state
ment clearly defines the
market’s purpose: to provide
quality products for health
living for the community.
“Candy canes, fudge they
are not part of our value
system,” she said.
“If it’s not grown
locally, you won’t find it
here,” she said.
Riggs, who also operates
a consulting business, D.
Riggs Consulting, specializes
in production and manage
ment issues for berry and
vegetable producers. She
served as an area vegetable
specialist for Cornell for
more than nine years.
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Riggs purchased an ex
isting farm with a small farm
market stand in 1995. The
91-acre farm, located 33
miles east of Albany, N.Y.,
includes about 18-20 acres of
tillable acreage. The good
gravelly loam soil was ideal
for strawberries and other
crops, with some additional
changes.
“Don’t even think about
(producing vegetables) with
out irrigation,” she said. The
Riggs use a one-third acre
farm pond about 11 feet deep
for irrigation.
Riggs felt confident
about growing and market
ing strawberries, including a
small pick-your-own, because
it was her speciality for 24-25
years. But before she began
the farm business, she con
ducted a customer survey to
ensure their plans were on
(Turn to Page 6)
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173