By Duncan Allison

Agriculture has shaped our countryside and played an important role in Chester County since Colonial Days when this region was considered the Bread Basket of the colonies. The excellent soil and well distributed rainfall makes this area a valuable national resource now and into the future.

The Chester County Commissioners recognized the significance of agriculture when they established the Agricultural Development Council (Ag Council) in 1980 to promote, encourage and assist in the retention of farmland and activities related to agriculture.

It soon became apparent at the county level that farmland preservation required a dedicated board so the Agricultural Land Preservation Board came into existence, and the Ag Council began to focus instead on promoting the overall agricultural industry.

An expansion of the Ag Council’s work become possible with the appointment of a Director, Hillary Krummrich in 2008.  She has helped agriculture become a part of  the county’s business plan and comprehensive plan, Landscapes2.  

Under Hillary’s leadership, the Ag Council has been able to enhance what was once a tri-fold map of direct-sale farm outlets into the extremely successful iteration of the Local Farm Products Guide that we have today.  

The guide includes a map and detailed listing of over 100 farms and a great assortment of local products including produce, meat, cheese, eggs, wine, mushrooms and even Christmas trees.

 Most of us no longer have relatives whose farms we can visit and know little about the huge diversity of the farming enterprises we are so lucky to have in Chester County. Therefore, the guide includes feature articles about agriculture in Chester County.  

This year’s guide gives readers an opportunity to get to know our leading farmers, such as Lew Wilkinson and the Seven Stars farm Team, learn about a start-up malting for beer business, the thriving Future Farmers of America program and so much more.

The Guide is not only in full and glorious color print here, but it can be accessed below as well.

Guide to Local Farm Products in Chester County