Down On The Farm

Though commercial farming is certainly making inroads nationwide, there are still 900 family-owned farms in Northampton County. So far, 123 have been preserved, meaning they will always be maintained as farms instead of succumbing to a developer's bulldozer. Every October, Penn State Extension offers a weekend farm tour. This year, 19 farms participated, delighting and entertaining the rest of the community, giving nonfarmers a newfound respect for what really is not a job, but a way of life.

Buza's Greenhouse. located on Newburg Road in Lower Nazareth, has a festive pumpkin display.

What would a farm tour be without a bluegrass band? The Dick Saylor Band performed at Klein Farms, a working dairy farm that has operated in Forks Township since 1935.

Rachel Klein Schmidt is dressed for business at her dairy farm.

Don't tell anyone, but Santa's reindeer have a home at the Z Arch Barn Farm, located near Klein Farms in Forks Township.

Z Arch Barn Farm owner Deborah Zarate displays some of the tiny reindeer for sale at Z Arch Barn Farm, but they sell the larger variety, too, along with Christmas trees.

"You looking at me?" asks Dasher. Or is it Dancer?

Former NorCo Executive Glenn Reibman, with his wife Sue Ann and guard dog, loves to tour the farms every year. He almost bought a reindeer.

Clear Spring Farm, owned by the Kromer family in Forks Township, is community supported agriculture in which shareholders are paid dividends in the form of a 30 different kinds of vegetables, grown from May through November.

Steve Finke, President of the Lehigh Valley Beekeepers' Association, shows off his sweet wares at True Blue Farm in Lower Mount Bethel Township. He keeps about 50 hives, whose honeybees pollinate the pumpkins and other produce we eat.

Visitors are unable to resist sampling fresh honey, right out od the hive, as evidenced by all the finger marks.

Anna and Ben Baker, both 10, enjoy sampling the homemade ice cream from Spring Valley Farm, a preserved dairy farm in Lower Mount Bethel that has operated since 1824.

Judy Kneebone, owner of Spring Valley Farm, tells me one of her horses is confused. Scout thinks he's a cow. "He follows them everywhere," she tells me. "He's a real sweetie."

Northampton County farming history is shared by Catherine Miller, neighbor Francis Podboreski and daughter Dawn Fraunfelter. "I'm a farm girl born and raised on a farm," Catherine states, noting proudly that she's been working at Spring Valley Farm since '47. "It's a little more work than what I was accustomed to," she states. "This farm was supposed to be under water twice," remembering her fight against now shelved plans to flood the area. "It didn't cost us a cent," she boasts of the battle she helped win.

Just outside of Bangor, Purple Haze Alpacas is just the place for sweaters, shawls, scarves and other Alpaca products, including the alpacas themselves. Chloe Skrapits, age 13, couldn't stop laughing at these furry, gentle creatures.

This fellow spent the day watching the tourists who were watching him.

No farm tour would be complete without a hayride at Juniperdale Farms, near Nazareth. The Fulmer family operate this crop farm, where you can pick your own strawberries in the Spring.

In the Fall, you can pick and paint your own pumpkins there, too. Jaden Xavier Reyes, age 6, and sister Scarlet, age 2, dazzled everyone with their artistry.

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