Barton's Fruit Farm & Farm Market
The Barton family has been farming in the
Stewartstown area since 1943. Richard Barton, grandson of the founder of what has become
known as Barton's Fruit Farm & Farm Market, currently manages the 250 acre operation.
Following World War I, farming played second fiddle
to the family's electrical contracting business. That all started to change in 1943 when
Richard's grandfather, his grandfather's nephew, and another man purchased their farm from
Howard Anderson. Two years after the purchase, Barton's grandfather bought out his nephew.
Several years later, he bought out the remaining partner and became sole owner of the
farm.
Barton's farm is divided into two parcels, a 175
acre parcel at the site of the Barton Farm Market, and a 75 acre parcel, which sits behind
the American Legion Post. In the early days of the business, the Barton family was
involved in dairy farming and fruit farming. At a critical time in the history of the
farm, the family decided to discontinue the dairy operation and devote all of their
resources to fruit farming.
For as long as he can remember, Richard Barton has
had a keen interest in the family farm. His youthful experiences on the farm were
supplemented by a degree in horticulture from Delaware Valley College.
Of the three large fruit farms in the Stewartstown
area, Blevins and Shaws being the other two, Barton's seems to be the most retail
oriented. Apples, peaches, pears, nectarines, apricots, plums, other fruits, fruit
products, flowers, and lawn furniture are all sold at Barton’s Farm Market. The
highly regarded bake shop was started in 1983.
Interestingly, the ideal harvest from a tree, such
as a peach tree, is 10%-15% of the starting crop. The quality of the yield is adversely
affected if the fruit on a tree is not appropriately thinned. The yield of a tree is
carefully managed through hand or chemical thinning.
Richard Barton is most concerned about state and
federal regulations, particularly those that pertain to the employment of migrant laborers
and the use of pesticides. Today's migrant work force is predominantly Mexican.
When he's not busy managing Barton' s Fruit Farm
& Farm Market, Richard Barton enjoys watching NASCAR racing. He is also the happily
married father of a daughter and two sons.
