Fall is winding down. For us, it’s been 8 weeks of pumpkins and all the fun that goes along with this season.  I never get tired of it; I just get tired.  Winter rest is just around the corner.   

I am thankful for the Fall...there is something about the harvest of pumpkins, squash and gourds that brings a level of accomplishment.  Even better is the feeling of watching people enjoy the harvest.  When I am driving around the community and see pumpkins displayed on porches I always wonder if they came from our farm. 

Adapting to supply chain delays and work force shortages presented a new set of challenges to overcome this year. Let me take a moment here to say how blessed Dan and I are with the staff that we have. Staff who shows up faithfully and works hard for each other, for our community and for us.   We were all forced to think outside the box!  We thought 2020 was the challenge; but it was only the warmup for this year.   Even though we all feel a little worn and weary, the sense of what we have been able to achieve this year renews our energy as we head into a different season. 

The holiday push from media started weeks ago. As a business, we had to map out our Thanksgiving and Christmas plans far in advance.  Schedules had to be inputted and product orders had to be placed, days, even months ago.  However, there is a difference between the commercialism of this season and its true meaning. As we countdown the days on a calendar, I am determined, like every year, to stay in tune with what matters.  For me, Thanksgiving and Christmas is about gathering, giving and celebrating the birth of a Savior. 

The Grinch had a lot of insight when he thought, “Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”  That certainly doesn’t seem like a strong or successful marketing campaign.  However, our approach is quite different, and I am good with that.  It’s authentic.   As you do plan your approach to spending this season, please strongly consider the impact your purchases can have on your local economy.  More importantly, prioritize what matters the most. 

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege to speak to a group of Pennsylvania Future Farmer’s of America students.  I shared with them some important math:

On average:

• For every $100 spent at a chain store, $13 goes back into the local economy…WHEREAS
• For every $100 spent at a small/non-chain-owned business, $48 goes back into the local economy. 
  
  

We took the time to consider what that means on a bigger scale:

• If you choose to shop at 6 chain stores, that results in $81 dollars going back into the local economy (6 x $13) verses
• If you choose to shop at 6 locally owned businesses, that results in $288 going back into the community. (6 x $48). 
  
  

Over time that adds up, significantly.  I am not trying to discredit any store here – I also enjoy convenience, but I also make an intentional effort to shop and support local.   Caring about where I can make a direct impact is my personal approach to spending and is also the starting place for our business model.  I encourage you to do the same. 

So, this season, start with deciding what matters most.  Mother Theresa said, “It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”  Give yourself a little respite from the frenzy of the media and the pressure to create a sky-high pile of gifts under the tree.  Determine what matters most to you and to those around you this season and make that your priority. 

I pray that you have a season of gratitude and abundant joy,
dB
 

We were scheduled to open for the season April 24th and 25th, 2020.  A few weeks before, a few of my staff members cornered me and said, "we need to be here for the community, people are scared right now, they are having a hard time getting what they need, let's open early."  You don't need to twist my arm after a presentation like that.  By the weekend, our doors were opened - following all guidelines and even making extra efforts for cleaning and sanitizing.  
So here is why I believe small businesses, including places like hair salons and gift stores should be able to open and when they get the go ahead to do so, these are the places to frequent:
1) Ability to keep things clean, constantly.  We sanitize our carts, our baskets and our credit card machine after every single use.  We already had a daily, weekly and monthly cleaning checklist - that includes our door handles and light switches!  We just bumped up the amount of times we are doing that.  
2) Crowd control can be managed well.  Small businesses can easily see everyone coming in their door, typically they are greeted with a smile (currently with an eye smile!) and a hello.  It's easy to make sure there is plenty of space for social distancing.  Businesses that schedule appointments can manage that even easier!  In a few cases, we were requested if someone could come during non open hours.  Absolutely! We can do that! 
3) We know you and your needs.  In our case, we have been able to help large families get the amounts of food they need.  One family I talked to had to go from store to store each week because of food restrictions.  As a small business, we could accommodate them.
4) We can follow all guidelines and maintain a safe place in a friendly way.  Our signs use words like "kindly" and they are presented in a nice colorful way.  Our store is bright and open, we have intentionally created more space in all of our shopping areas so social distancing isn't an issue.  
5) Giving back to the community comes naturally (or at least it should!).  In my opinion, community partnership is a privilege.  Instead of being annoyed when someone asks for a donation I see it as an opportunity to say thank you a school or group or organization who considers us a vital part of the community.  As an essential business with permission to open, we were able to support some local folks and organizations who lost their avenues of sales.  One example is the Girl Scouts.  Understandably, the Girl Scouts were not permitted to sell in typical fashion this year.  The cookie sales are essential to funding their programs.  With special permission granted, they were allowed to drop off their cookies in retail spaces to be sold.  We were happy to partner with some of our local troops to sell their cookies - people were so happy to get their cookies and troop leaders were relieved to not have boxes of cookies in their pantries.  Community kindness isn't just about giving, it's about doing!  And we can do!  
6) There is the highest level of accountability.  The folks who come in the our doors are my neighbors and friends, my children go to school with the children whose parents and grandparents shop in our store.   When you receive an email, Facebook response or other similar message it's directly from me or another real person.  It's not an auto response and it is ultimately my name on the line!  I have no large corporate company name to hide behind.  
7) A positive experience can change your day.  Last but not least is the mental and emotional health struggle that has escalated during the past few weeks.  It's been cold, rainy and the end of winter, routines have been disrupted and for some folks those adaptations just don't come easily.  A familiar experience, can help.  

The past few weeks, as hard and challenging as it has been to adapt our business, will be one of the most memorable times in the history of retail business for me personally.  People were kind, people were patient, people were understanding in all regards.  All of this has helped us all slow down a bit and renew our perspective.  The community support that has been behind us, I hope will continue and I hope to respond in kind.  
As small businesses are permitted to open up again, they are going to desperately need our support!  I love seeing this happen already.  Frequent them, buy gifts from them, tip well!  

That being said, if you are a small business, set your standards high.  Be a safe place, don't be shy about telling your customers and community what you are doing.  I struggled with that, but then I realized that is what helps earn and sustain our trust.  Follow the guidelines but be kind and friendly about it.  Be accommodating.  

In this Together,  
​dB

We are opening the store early this year to help people get basic food.  But the reality is, I am feeling sad about it.  This week a very small staff is working to clean, tidy, stock some shelves and put together a list of "essentials."  Traditionally, opening weekend for me comes with great anticipation ... familiar faces and hopefully new ones, catching up with people on their winter and seeing kids who come to explore and learn!  Instead our minds are considering how do I make sure I avoid direct contact, how do I make this as sterile and informal for people as humanly possible?  To the core of my being that just goes against everything we have worked so hard to make sure we are not.  However, we will do whatever it takes to help people get what they need and be safe and secure doing it!  We will be hopeful that when this does pass, and it will, we can pick up the pieces together and appreciate each other and what we have just a little bit more.  
I have been known to say, "the glass if half empty and it's rotten milk, but we can still make some yummy banana bread!"  So, here we go ... that is how I feel right now.  This is not at all how I want to open our doors for the season.  However, there is something about "presence" and that's what we will be.  We will be present here in your community, present to do our best, present to offer a familiar face and smile, we will be present to open the doors even if we can't offer you a physical hug.  
Please take care of yourselves and those who are literally close to you right now!  Please reach out to those who are at a distance too.  Find something to laugh about and laugh often ... it is OK!  (Need a laugh? Check out Big Dan's or Rohrbach's Facebook for our family food video!).  
Be safe, be well.  
dB

So far, we are experiencing some pretty mild winter weather.  As much as everyone loves those high temperature days, we don't really welcome them on the farm.  Warm temperatures early in the season can trick the trees into thinking that spring is coming soon, and they will start to wake from their winter rest.  We aren't ready for that because it makes for a risky spring if buds are open too soon.  In 2019, we lost 75% of our peaches due to an early bud push and a late spring extreme cold snap/frost.  We are hopeful that 2020 does not repeat that!

Ok, moving past the winter blues; we are busy inside right now!  We have some exciting changes to unveil over the next few months inside and outside!  To sustain a small business and small farm, we have to do our best to stay current with consumer trends and farming practices.  Stay tuned; as these things unfold over the next few months, we will provide more details.  

You're going to hear a common theme this year in our conversations, media and promotions.  "Strong Roots" is the foundation of all we do.   Strong roots of 65 years of a family owned and operated farm has brought us to this point.  Even when we need to adapt, we don't lose sight that we have a history of providing the best possible experience for our community and stewarding our land and resources to the best of our ability.  That ties in to every aspect of our life.  We stand strong on that history and we move forward continuing to pursue the best for the future!  Stay tuned, we have a great year ahead!  
Getting ready to share another year with you, 
​dB

When our Andrew was really little he used to say the four seasons were "Spring, Summer, Fall and Christmas!"  I am not a very big fan of winter, cold, or sunless days on end but Christmas, I love Christmas!  Yes, I admit I am that person who starts Christmas music early in November, and I love to start changing over decorations as soon as possible. (Maybe because I really do get to max out enjoyment of fall decorations with all of our events and activities!)
For many reasons, we must have a winter, but I could live with a season of Christmas instead!  Christmas is warm, sparkly, and twinkly, and any simple reason can be found to celebrate!  I am trying to take my own advice from the last blog and truly slow down a little, to stop and enjoy the moments.  It certainly is not always easy; it takes an intentional commitment.  
In our church a few weeks ago, we had a guest speaker from a local youth center.  He talked about how in the youth center, they sit around the table with the kids who come. On those nights they serve a warm meal and talk about their day.  Phones are put away and open discussion is encouraged!  We make every effort to have family dinner in our home as often as possible, so that isn't really what impacted me most.  I couldn't hold back the tears, though, when he mentioned how some of these kids just don't even have a bed to sleep in, or clean clothes or dependable hot meals.  So we had a family discussion (around the dinner table), what could we do this season to help?  
No doubt we live in an entitled culture; the online shopping mentality of - I need/want it, I buy it, it shows up on my door step within two days.  I get that, I embrace that convenience too.  
I don't believe we will change that culture, but we can learn to keep perspective in the midst of it.  First it starts with gratitude, followed by generosity.  Could we give up the idea of making our own extensive Christmas lists and instead focus more on being thankful for what we do have and spend more time helping others who don't have?   
What does any of this have to do with the farm and farm life?  Well, nothing really.  It really doesn't but that's ok, this is what we are working through in our home right now and to share it with you helps hold us accountable to follow through.  This week is Angel tree week and we are partnered with two local schools to help provide Christmas gifts to children in need.  The opportunities in our community are endless.  I encourage you this year, if you aren't already, find a way to meet a need.  Little or big, every one makes a difference.  
Wishing you all the joy, Hope and warmth of Christmas, 
dB 

Never before can I remember an October where we had a perfect fall day for every Saturday!  So many memories were made this year by young and old who came to the farm to experience the harvest, the corn maze, time with family and delicious eats!  We know for sure of two engagements that happened in the pumpkin patch!  
For me, it's a mix of emotions that it is drawing to an end.  Truth be told we could never keep up this pace for much longer! Our days were back to back with school tours, guests, pumpkin picking and all of the fun that comes with this season!  There is something about the constant flow of familiar smiling faces, new guests who have just discovered our little place in the world and the color and decor that comes along with the season that keeps the momentum going.  
But now it's time to turn to a quieter season, a season of more reflection as we anticipate Thanksgiving and then Christmas. Purpose now to minimize, reflect, quiet your heart and do less.  Embrace the gratitude and giving of the approaching seasons with expectation of more good things to come! 
Grateful for you, 
​dB

We can grieve the ending of summer or we can embrace the beginning of fall.  The emergence of a new season always creates a tension of emotions, some easier to welcome than others.  When summer changes to fall, it doesn't take me long to get over my great attachment to warm, sunny days to get excited about all the colors and harvest of a new season!  Pumpkins, gourds, mums, apples ... all of it freshens up dull corners.  Summer to fall is an easy one for me, fall to winter, now that one I will not look forward to with so much excitement (except Christmas ... I LOVE Christmas!).  
Life changes are the same way.  Some are easy to embrace.  Others are not easy, they come undefined and without certainty.   Farm life is no exception.  Farmers are facing major seasons of change and I am not talking about spring to summer and summer to fall!  We live in a time of innovation with the best technology resources at our fingertips.  I am proud to be fourth generation in a farming family.  I am grateful for a solid foundation of life work and dedication that has been modeled before me.  All of that presents mixed emotions with how we move forward in our farming operation.  To me, it's significant to honor the past but not hold on to it at the detriment of moving forward.  The past ten years or so we have embraced innovative soil operations.  If you've followed our social media you've been able to see what the transition to no-till farming and Cover Crops has done for the health of our soil, the minimization of chemicals and the increase in yields.  
In the future we will continue to embrace those changes, seek the best practices, and learn by trying (and sometimes failing).  You will begin to see changes in our orchards over the next five years.  As our trees are aging out we are moving to a now proven method of fruit production called High Density.  There is so much we are learning and we promise we will be sharing with you as we go!  High Density allows for greater fruit production with better tree health.  One of the most exciting things about all of this is it will allow us to provide more pick your own experiences to our community!  
Here's to embracing the seasons! So grateful for you, 
dB