Written by Chris AldridgeAg News in Kentucky
Henry McGlasson relocated from Virginia to the west in the 1860s and constructed a modest log cottage a few miles downstream from Cincinnati on the Ohio River’s south bank.
The original cabin is still inside a farmhouse that has been enlarged, renovated, and occupied by Henry’s great-grandson until last year. Between the river and the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, in Boone County, the sixth generation of the McGlasson family continues to cultivate 120 acres of fertile bottomland soil.
Jack McGlasson, a landscape architect by trade and co-owner and operator of McGlasson Farms alongside his brother, who works full-time on the farm, stated, “We have lived and farmed this land for more than 150 years.”
According to Jack, my great-grandparents and my grandparents used to bring practically all of the food to Cincinnati and sell it at several farmers’ markets when I was a child. For decades, there was a very large one downtown. My great uncle would sell the items up there after we filled a large flatbed truck with racks.
He added that our roadside stand, which they had constructed in the late 1960s, was the reason my parents stopped attending the markets when they took over in 2000. Due to the increased population and suburbanization of the area, the roadside market became so crowded that we no longer needed to visit the farmers’ markets.
After taking over McGlasson Farms, Jack and his brother started encouraging people to come and choose their own fresh fruit. In the past, the farm had a u-pick option for tomatoes, apples, and strawberries.
According to Jack, we actually began u-picking with the strawberries. We did the apples the second year, and it was a huge hit.
Currently, blueberry pickers are swarming to the farm’s 2-acre patch, which is protected from birds by netting. In a nearby 1-acre area, blackberries, the official fruit of Kentucky and a natural fruit, are starting to turn a dark purple that is ready for picking.
According to Jack, our business has grown significantly over the past five or more years as a result of expanding into more u-pick opportunities. It has truly blown out.
We begin u-picking peaches in July, he continued. We then begin u-picking apples in September. On the hillside, we have a 4-acre apple orchard, along with pumpkins and apple cider.
With two orchards totaling ten acres, apples have been and continue to be McGlasson Farms’ signature crop.
According to Jack, a large number of individuals will arrive only in the fall. Kids adore it, and it’s like their one big outing. It’s an encounter.
We don’t conduct a lot of specialized agritourism, such as wagon rides or similar activities, but it’s a possibility. I believe there is a lot of (possible business) on the table because people are constantly asking if they can have a birthday party or wedding down here.
In addition to resuming its community-supported agriculture (CSA) program, which enables individuals to purchase a portion of the farm’s abundant vegetable crop, McGlasson Farms is growing its well-liked 2-3 acre strawberry patch.
According to Jack, my brother grows cucumbers, bell peppers, green beans, sweet corn, tomatoes, and squash. He cooks sweet potatoes, and I have red and white potatoes. Sort of the whole spectrum.
Sometimes, if we have enough, we’ll visit another farmers market (in suburban Cincinnati or northern Kentucky), he continued. We enjoyed attending a few, but in all honesty, we have enough business here (at the farmstand).
According to Jack, the farm’s current location was chosen by his great-great-great-grandfather Henry, who continues to bless it.
Jack remarked, “We’re five minutes off the Interstate (75).” We’re not really in the middle of nowhere—you can get to Cincinnati in twenty minutes.
