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Market Manager: ‘My Neighbors Are My Customers’
MICHELLE RANCK
Lancaster Farming Staff
NEFFSVILLE (Lancaster
Co.) “Directing traffic”
has multiple meanings at the
Erb family’s “Brooklawn
Farm” roadside stand.
Now in the midst of plant
ing season, owner Jim Erb is
planting sweet corn, field
corn, Indian, popcorn, and
ornamental corn in the
warming earth.
In addition, “we still farm
100 acres of field corn and
soybeans,” said Erb, who is
joined by his wife Romaine,
daughter Diana, a horticul
ture student at Penn State,
and son Jeffrey.
“We’re serving the imme
diate community. We don’t
do a lot of advertising. We see
our customers over and over
again during the season, and
see them season after season.
We view what we’re doing as
being their gardeners. It feels
like, in a sense, we’re an ex
Full Summer
LITITZ (Lancaster Co.) Raspberries are flowering on the vines
as summer weather shows up early in Lancaster County orchards.
Raspberries, either summer-bearing or ever-bearing, do well
when planted on an open site with at least 6-8 hours of sunlight,
according to Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet HYG
-1421-98, “Raspberries For the Backyard Fruit Planting.” Page 12
includes recommended raspberries and cultural characteristics,
including a chart for training systems and plant spacing, from the
university. Learn more about bramble plants by checking the Web
site for the North American Bramble Growers Association,
www.hort.cornell.edu/grower/nabga/ or the contacting the asso-
tension of the community.
My customers are my neigh
bors.
“The essence of what we’re
doing here is our own home
grown produce. That’s still
the key,” he said. Strawber
ries, varieties of corn, sugar,
snap, and hull peas, peaches,
plums, nectarines, pears, and
apples are some of the home
grown produce that Brook
lawn customers enjoy.
A Seasonal Business
In April, bedding plants
and mulch products open the
season, which closes with
Christmas trees the end of
the year. During the off
season, the Erbs and employ
ees service and maintain their
equipment, take a vacation,
houseclean, and attend con
ferences and trade shows.
“I love to go to meetings
and get ideas. I have more
ideas than what I can get
done,” he said. One of these
(Turn to Page 3)
Sun Critical As Growers Prepare For Raspberry Season
Diana, Romaine, and Jim along . son Jeffrey v <ot pictured) together
with 25-30 seasonal employees, own and operate Brooklawn Farms produce
stand. Photo by Michelle Ranck
elation at 13006 Mason Road NE, Cumberland, MD 21502, (301)
724-4085.
This scene shows early May growth of raspberries at Shenk’s
Berry Farm near Lltitz, which also features pick-your-own
strawberries in season. Owners John and Linda Shenk maintain
about two acres of three different varieties of raspberries. They
have mostly black raspberries, pictured here, including Bristol and
Jewel. They also have some red raspberries, including Lauren.
Many were planted about six years ago. The raspberries can be
picked beginning in early July. Photo by Andy Andrews, editor