FILLMORE, Ind. — When you run a family farm, you often wear a lot of hats.
“I am the production manager, market manager, owner, broom pusher and cleaner-upper at the end of the day,” Matt Chandler said.
Chandler is the son of Jerry and Vyanne Chandler, the founders of the family owned farm and market in Fillmore.
“Dad started this with a couple of hand tools and a rototiller,” Chandler said.
That humble beginning in 1975 has blossomed into a 52-acre operation with a variety of crops including strawberries, pumpkins and of course, apples. We’re talking in the ballpark of 50 varieties.
“Don't ask me to name them off top my head,” Chandler said. “Hands down the most popular apple variety is Honeycrisp. That variety has been out for about 30 years, and it's really taken off.”
It’s not the only variety of apple en vogue.
“Everybody wants a crisp, crunchy, apple,” Chandler said. “EverCrisp was the first apple that has really changed our business. It's a very sweet, well balanced apple that keeps exceptionally well in cold storage without any kind of altercation or additional input on our part.”
As for a favorite, Chandler says he doesn’t have one.
“There are countless times where a customer will stand here and ask me what my favorite variety is, and I always counter that with, ‘I'm not the one eating it, so you tell me what you like, and then we go from there.”
But changing tastes means changes in the orchard.
“There were two original orchards on the farm here,” Chandler said. “We took the first one out because a lot of those trees had reached the end of their useful life.”
That lifespan is about 30 years. Chandler says a lot of those varieties are less popular now.
“People want crisp and juicy and there aren't as many folks that are cooking with apples, so we've taken out these old varieties and use that land for other things,” Chandler said.
One of those other things is pretty popular right now.
“We've got about eight acres of pumpkins,” Chandler said. “We raise your standard jack-o-lanterns, plus we also raise the specialty stuff, which is a huge seller for fall decor.”
Chandler also shared his thoughts on what makes a good carving pumpkin.
“You're going to want something that's got a real nice stem on it,” Chandler said. “I personally like the weird ones. I think the weird ones make the best ones. The warty looking ones, they're really cool.”
But just like apple selection, it all comes down to personal preference.
And being on the farm is exactly where Matt Chandler wants to be.
“The thing I love most about being out here on the farm every day is that I'm in the sunshine, and there's days I'm in the rain, but I'm outside and I'm not stuck in a concrete box all day,” Chandler said. “It's just a dream and a passion and the roots run deep.”
