“Without these two men, the farm wouldn’t
be what it is today,” says Chris. He adds,
“Their work ethic is unmatched and I’m
blessed to have them by my side working the
farm seven days a week.”
The Bean Farm is a work in progress, as
Chris describes it, and he’s got a vision for
what it can become. At present he’s growing
a variety of pumpkins, sweet corn, squashes,
watermelon, tomatoes, peppers, lettuce,
broccoli, cauliflower, and fresh flowers. He’s
also branched out into animal husbandry
and he’s caring for 150 egg-laying chickens
on the farm in addition to pasture-raised
meat chickens and turkeys for Thanksgiving.
This year he added pigs, a baby calf, and
three rabbits…although the cow and the
rabbits are more to make his customers
smile than to turn a profit. Chris admits he’s
trying to create a memorable experience so
they’ll return time and again. For fall he’s
set up a giant pyramid of hay bales, studded
with pumpkins and a little bench nestled at
the bottom, perfect for fall-themed family
pictures after picking pumpkins out in the
patch. But more important than repeat
customers is teaching people where their
food comes from.
“It’s really sad how little the public knows,
especially in urban and suburban areas
like this, first about how to grow food for
themselves but also in general, how anything
is grown or raised in this country,” says Chris.
“There’s a huge disconnect between the
farm, field, and table. It’s awful. So to keep
something like this alive is a big deal. I want
kids to see what happens on a farm, how the
animals are raised, how the crops are grown,
and all of the hard work that goes into it. It’s
so important.”
When you purchase produce, meat, or
eggs through the Bean Farm, Chris aims
to make it the best product around. He
calls that, “Bean Farm Fresh.” All of the
animals are out in the open air. His chickens
and turkeys are pasture raised. He says
he practices minimal tillage and plants a
lot of crop cover to benefit soil health and
reduce erosion. He doesn’t use insecticides
and instead has an intensive integrated pest
management program. “I try to do the right
thing and use as little chemicals as possible,”
he says. “I learned it from my grandfather. I
do the best job that I can to give people the
best product. That’s what it’s all about.”
Someday he hopes to be able to run the
farm full-time, build a retail building, and
expand his business. In the meantime, he
says, “It’s a hell of a lot of work, but I love
doing it.”
“I want kids to see what happens on a farm,
how the animals are raised, how the crops
are grown, and all of the hard work that goes
into it. It’s so important.”
Photo Credit: Will Clarke ’24
Winter 2023
Xaverian Magazine
11