Centre County farm uses events, sunflower field and store to connect visitors to agriculture

In late May, about 700 people flocked to The Heirloom Farmer in Port Matilda for Homestead Day, to learn more about Happy Valley agriculture, attend workshops, support local businesses and otherwise build community around the regional food ecosystem. The event is just one indicator of the success that has grown up around the business that was founded by Abbie Spackman in 2020.

The Heirloom Farmer, which encompasses a retail greenhouse and farm store, and hosts agriculture-related events like Homestead Day throughout the year, is set on Spackman’s family farm, where she grew up.

“(I) always loved farming and knew I wanted to do something in agriculture, but I followed the traditional path of going to college and getting a job,” Spackman said. She currently works for Penn State Extension, in addition to running The Heirloom Farmer. “Previously, my family farm was more of a subsistence farm, not really a business, but I wanted to start something that would allow us to serve the community more, and that would enable me to come back and do more on the farm.”

The seasonal business offers heirloom, locally and organically grown garden plants in the greenhouse, and products in the farm store that might include honey, raw milk, cheese and produce, depending on the month. All products are either grown on the farm or sourced from other local farms.

“I realized just how blessed I was to have our family farm, handed down from generation to generation,” Spackman explained of her decision to finally launch an agricultural business in 2020. “It was something so beautiful and incredible that we were able to enjoy and take care of, and I really wanted to share that with other people and give them an experience they would want to share. ... Even though we’re a very rural county, there are a lot of people who don’t get to experience farm life. They don’t get to experience farm-fresh food or a field full of sunflowers. We wanted to create an opportunity for them to not only experience that, but to (also) bring their kids, the next generation, to experience that.”

This focus on the next generation ties into the business’s name. To Spackman, “heirloom” represents something of great value and worth, passed through the generations with special meaning and importance. Combined with the agricultural interpretation of heirloom and heirloom seed varieties, the origins of which can be similarly traced through the years, the phrase was a perfect fit for Spackman’s mission with her business endeavor.

Homestead Day, which takes place every year on the third Saturday in May, similarly embraces this idea of passing on a love for local agriculture through the generations.

“We saw a desire in the community for people to be more connected to their food, whether that’s growing more of their own, visiting local farms for their food or simply learning more about the process. A lot of people were just interested in becoming closer to their food and where it comes from,” Spackman said. “That’s the highlight of Homestead Day — building a community of people learning about their options for local food.”

This communal desire, in part, arose during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Spackman said she noticed a rapid increase in interest, when consumers realized how vulnerable their food systems might be, as well as a growing interest in eating healthier food.

Still, The Heirloom Farmer’s journey over the last four years hasn’t been without its challenges, despite demand. The same rural, family farm atmosphere that attracts families can also seem out of reach for some who limit their explorations of the region to areas like downtown State College — even though The Heirloom Farmer is just a mere 10 miles away.

So what keeps Spackman going, even when faced with business challenges or even a busy schedule, juggling both a full-time job and The Heirloom Farmer? She recounted an experience from the first year the farm invited the public to visit its sunflower field.

“There was a little boy that I’ll vividly remember forever,” she said. “He came with his parents to visit our sunflower field and, as he got out of the car and was walking toward the field, he was literally jumping up and down with excitement and couldn’t contain himself… He was so thrilled that he could cut his own sunflowers to take home with him. I just thought, ‘Wow, this is so amazing that we get to share this type of experience with families.’ That’s just one of many examples of how excited people are that they get to come out and enjoy our farm and what we have to offer. Seeing those reactions definitely is a huge motivator.”

Learn more about The Heirloom Farmer at www.theheirloomfarmer.com. The Heirloom Farmer self-serve farm store and greenhouse are open every day, with a self-checkout that takes credit card, cash, check and Venmo.

Holly Riddle is a freelance food, travel and lifestyle writer. She can be reached at holly.ridd@gmail.com.