National Cherry Day - Kast Farms
Happy National Cherry Day! Did you know our cherries are home.grown.? We’re proud to partner with Kast Farm, Inc., our primary cherry grower, as they help us provide fresh, local, refreshing cherries to our customers. Learn more about their family farm and operation below.
Kast Farms, Inc. is a fifth-generation family farm first established in 1884. The farm operates on approximately 4,500 acres in Orleans County about eight miles south of Lake Ontario. The farm is very diverse with approximately 450 acres of fruit, primarily apples, as well as 1000 acres of processing vegetables, such as sweet corn and snap beans, 2700 acres of field corn, soybeans, wheat, and malting barley.
Since its inception, the farm has been a very diverse operation, and it is one of the main reasons for its success today. While not necessarily the largest farm in Orleans County, it is one of the most diverse regarding the acreage of fruit, grains and vegetables. The farm has always tried to stay on the progressive side of things. Whether it was planting trial varieties for research, using novel harvest equipment or embracing new technology like GPS guidance and yield mapping, family members have been open and willing to find out how to take advantage of new trends to best suit the operation.
The Farm has had a long-standing relationship with Cornell University. The relationship began with growing trial tomato varieties and using harvesters in the 1950’s and continues with apples and grains today. In 2017 the farm partnered with Farm Fresh First, Cornell University, NY State Department of Ag and Markets and several other NY state growers in an Industrial Hemp trial studying the growing requirements for industrial hemp in NYS.
Quality produce is Kast Farms top priority and we have been GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) certified for over twenty years and are proud to also carry the NY Grown and Certified label on all our products. It is just another way to show that our products are fresh, safely handled and grown in an environmentally responsible way.
Like many other successful farms, the family owes a great deal of gratitude to several past and current employees. It has been with the help of their dedication and hard work that the farm is what it is today. As a result, in 2016 Kast Farms, Inc. was recognized by the New York State Agricultural Society with the Century Farm Award and in 2018 with the Next Generation Farmer Award.
Kast Farms, Inc is currently co-owned and operated by brothers John and Brett Kast.