about little rock farm
We came together, we worked, we gave thanks, we feasted, we enjoyed being together.
And we left feeling really good – there was never a bad day on the farm. We were so blessed to have grown up here.
This farm has always been a gathering place. I can recall the days when my grandfather was alive and there was work to be done, my Dad and his brothers would come to help. Along would be my sister and me and all of our cousins. We all worked together and had a great time, and when the work was done a wonderful meal would be waiting for all of us back at the farmhouse – all homemade and mostly home grown. Sometimes we would end up on the front porch eating watermelon and spitting seeds into the yard. And if we were really lucky, we’d get homemade ice cream.
Little Rock Farm’s Timeline
85 Years of Tradition & Experience
Freshly Homemade Goods
1938 – Little Rock Farm was purchased by newlyweds Otto and Florence Schack. Formerly owned by Peter Sandfoss. Some of the things they raised included: Three boys (Leonard, Robert and Herman), Dairy cattle to sell the cream, hogs, chickens to sell the eggs, corn to feed animals, winter onions, strawberries, black raspberries, apples, pears, peaches and vegetables for their family. Items would be picked up every Wednesday and Sunday to be sold at Wetzel’s store in Dayton, Ky.
1955 – Grade C milk began being sold to make cheese.
1966 – Dairy cattle was traded in for beef cattle. A select few dairy cows were kept for family use.
1976 – Otto passed away, allowing Robert (Bob) to take over the farm. Hogs became the main focus of the farm. At times there were 120 head being raised. Corn production was increased to nearly 12 acres, including leased property along the Ohio River, to feed the growing number of hogs.
1982 – Hogs were replaced with beef cattle, as well as the farming of tobacco, which only lasted a few years.
1998 – The fields filled with vegetables for the local Farmers’ Markets, as well as some tobacco.
1999 – Greenhouses are built to grow vegetable and tobacco plants.
2000 – The greenhouses also get used to raise and sell flowers and bedding plants.
2001 – A larger greenhouse is built to increase flower production.
2004 – Flower production is decreased and larger greenhouse is converted to raised beds for vegetable growing.
2005 – We get approved as a Home-based Processor. We begin selling breads, jams and jellies made from produce grown on the farm.
2006 – A third greenhouse is built to increase the wholesale vegetable plant business.
2008 – A fourth greenhouse is built for flowers and bedding plants. We experiment with growing strawberries in bags. Freezer beef is offered to customers.
2011 – Our products are sold at the farm and at Farmers’ Markets three times a week. Some items include: flowers, bedding plants, berries, vegetables, freezer beef, over 20 different flavors of breads, and more than twelve flavors of jams, jellies and butters all made with produce raised right on the farm.
