Kelsey Farms
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Saturday Farmers Market, May-October: B-Line;
November-April: A-Shed
Products: Produce, flowers, and fruit
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While Carlton Kelsey, owner of Kelsey Farms, maintains a serious look in this photo, he lit up when reflecting about all he learned from his father and grandfather:
"Dad brought me down when I was five years old. That was 65 years ago. I'm something like a ninth generation farmer. Our ancestors came to the US in 1835 and settled on Kelsey Road and kept moving west. It's quite a long road. My childhood house was built by my great grandfather, lived in by my grandfather, and then my father. Then my father gave it to me and now my brother lives there.
I learned to farm from my father and grandfather. Never went to college, but I had had two good teachers. Now there’s so much technology like tractors that do everything for you. If I don’t do it myself, it doesn’t get done. My newest tractor is from '78 and two others were my grandfather's which still work well. And they’re paid for, not rented. If I had to buy completely new equipment, our farm wouldn't survive. But I raise a variety of goods with the farm we have. My grandfather used to say, 'we raise a little of everything and not much of anything'."
According to Carlton, “the Market used to look entirely different. B-Line was full of farmers and around the Market were huskers. There are fewer of us farmers now because of corporate grocery stores. People don’t realize that by the time a good gets to the store, it’s typically a minimum of five days before it gets to their table. While sitting on the truck and then the shelf, produce looses nutrients and flavor. When you get it from the farmer it’s fresh and that makes a big difference. Anything homegrown tastes better than a shipped product."
Beyond Carlton's historical perspective of the industry, he's an expert of his trade. If you stand by his table long enough, you'll hear advice about how to keep bugs off your cucumber plants or grocery list recommendations. "I don't know everything. If I can answer someone's question though, I'll be truthful." So the truth is, when shopping with farmers, you're sourcing directly from experts.
