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We are going on a field trip (literally and figuratively) this week to the Dillon Farm Museum which is located on Rt. 9 opposite Hedgesville High School (thanks to Vicki Elliott and PP Pam Wagoner we have all heard of Hedgesville High School).  Kresha Hornby is catering the lunch.  Those who attended the golf tournament are still raving about the meal she served there, so arrive early.
At one time farming was everywhere in Berkeley County with orchards probably being the largest category. Several members of our club once owned orchards or farms, and have now moved on to other endeavors.  With the population increasing almost exponentially in the county, farm land has become far more valuable for housing developments than for farming.
It is arguable whether any sort of “idyllic” life existed for most of the millions of family farms that have disappeared in recent decades. At the beginning of 20th century, an average farm in North America produced much less food per acre than it does nowadays. A likely conclusion is that for a time in the middle decades of the last century, a large number of farms achieved a temporarily comfortable position by capitalizing on rapidly emerging new technologies, markets, and growth-oriented philosophies. As growth and “production efficiency” kept increasing, this position began to reverse noticeably, at least by the 1970s. The number of farms, and of farm families living on the land, has dropped every decade in the United States since 1920. In part this was a function of economies of scale and competitive pressures. In part it may be perceived as an indication that “family farming”, in its raw, realistic form, is just plain hard work, with limited social and cultural opportunities, and competes poorly as an occupation and a “lifestyle” with urban and suburban opportunities.
In the last few decades there has been a resurgence of interest in organic and free range foods. A percentage of consumers have begun to question the viability of industrial agriculture practices and have turned to organic groceries that sell products produced on family farms including not only meat and produce but also such things as wheat germ breads and natural lye soaps (as opposed to bleached white breads and petroleum based detergent bars). Others buy these products direct from family farms. The “new family farm” provides an alternative market in some localities with an array of traditionally and naturally produced products.
Take a walk through local farming history with hosts Jim Smith and Glenn Welsh and see for yourself what farming was like.

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United Way