Posted: 5:41 PM - Jul 19, 2008
From The Winchester Star dated Wednesday 16 July 2008.
Winchester -- More than 50 years ago, a young Frederick County farmer, accompanied by his little son, often drove through the fields of the family's farm on Cedar Creek Grade, checking on the peach crop.
"I loved it," said John R. Marker Jr., 61, about those rides with his dad, J. Ralph Marker Sr. "I loved to be going with him out on the farm."
Marker, who was 6 years old when his father died unexpectedly in 1953, followed his family into farming, a vocation born out of his love for the land and his family's heritage.
For 100 consecutive years, the Markers, six generations strong, have farmed that land.
The farm has reached the century mark, and Virginia recognizes the milestone of continuous operation by one family through its Century Farm Program.
Established by the General Assembly in 2007, the program honors the farms and their owners. Thus far, 1,028 farms have been recognized. Ten of them are in Frederick County.
The Marker-Miller family will host a party from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday to celebrate the farm's 100th birthday -- with a cake-cutting ceremony at 2 p.m. and live music from 1 until 3 p.m.
The farm was acquired by John Marker Jr.'s great-grandfather, Amos E. Marker, July 11, 1908, from the estate of John H. Buncutter.
After Amos Marker died, Marker Jr.'s grandfather, John D. Marker, and then his father, J. Ralph Marker Sr., tilled the soil. When J. Ralph Marker Sr. died, his sister Fay Marker Miller and his wife Ada Marker (later Ruble) operated the farm.
Now John and his wife Carolyn, with their two children, John R. Marker III (known as "J.R."), 37, and Heather Marker McKay, 32, carry on the family farming heritage.
McKay and her husband Jeff McKay, 35, have two children -- son Logan, 4, and daughter Emileigh, nearly 2. They live in a home they built on the farm five years ago.
"Jeff grew up in town, but I think he likes the country now," she said. "He fell right into it."
McKay, who has a master's degree in physical therapy, works three days a week at Winchester Medical Center. The rest of the week, she works at the farm market. Jeff McKay is an information specialist at Valley Farm Credit.
J.R. Marker III and his wife Mitzi, 34, live in Mechanicsville, where they run Sandy's Plants Inc., a 30-acre nursery of rare and unusual perennials in Mitzi's family.
The couple have a son, Aaron, 6, and a daughter, McKenzie, 3. They keep an active interest in the farm in Frederick County.
The Marker family grows peaches, apples, and other fruits and vegetables on the nearly 900-acre farm at 3035 Cedar Creek Grade southwest of Winchester.
About eight years ago, they opened a farm market and bakery there. When the market opened, the family decided to end its beef cattle operation.
Recalling his father's love of farming, John Marker recently discussed some of J. Ralph Marker Sr.'s accomplishments and his interest in trying new agricultural methods.
"He was enthusiastic about farming. He was interested in trends, doing new things. They had been in orchards and had cattle, but he was trying to improve the cow herd."
"In 1953, he was going to grass silage (fermented fodder), feeding alfalfa, and going to chop it for silage. He chopped it early (that year), but he was dead before it was fed."
His father was 36 years old when he died of a heart attack while baling hay for a neighbor.
"Even though I was young, I guess I understood (his dad's farming interests). And as I grew up, a lot of his friends made really nice comments about him," John Marker said.
In an "almost unheard-of" decision for women in the 1950s, Fay Marker Miller, whose husband died in World War II, and Ada Marker pitched in to keep the farm going when their brother and husband died.
"Life wasn't easy for the women farmers, but they made numerous improvements and did a good job in running the operation," John Marker said.
The two women, now deceased, were very different. "Mom was more laid-back and my aunt was more assertive. And I admire them tremendously," he said.
"They made a conscious effort to keep the farm. And I believe this was their concept all along, that they wanted to keep the farm for me," he added.
Over the years, John Marker worked on the farm after school and in the summer. He graduated in 1969 from Virginia Tech with an agriculture degree, specializing in animal science.
Nevertheless, he said, his family never pressured him to stay on the farm. His decision to be a farmer was his own.
ThatÂ’s the same policy Carolyn and John follow with their children, even though both were active on the farm growing up and were leaders in the Future Farmers of America.
Carolyn Lee Marker, who grew up on a small farm in Hampshire County, W.Va., worked at Winchester Medical Center. She rented a room in a house across from the home of Fay Marker Miller, who often would ask Carolyn over for pie or a meal.
Carolyn met her future husband's family there.
"I met his parents before I met him. I always had sworn I would never marry a farmer," she said recently. "But I have learned never to say never."
She remembers Fay Marker Miller and Ada Marker Ruble lovingly. The latter was especially dear to her.
"I could have looked the world over and never have found a mother-in-law as wonderful as she was," Carolyn said.
Looking to the future, John and Carolyn Marker hope to continue their farm-related work in the best way they can.
"It's a hard business," Carolyn said.
"But we're going to be here for a while," her husband added. "We have 300 acres in apples. And we'll be planting new apple trees this year and next. We want to try some new varieties."
Their children J.R. and Heather also have happy thoughts about growing up on the family farm and are filled with hope about their roles in its future.
Both confirmed that their parents have encouraged them to pursue their own dreams and not to feel compelled to stay on the farm. But they both love the farm and want to keep it alive and operating.
"I love it here," McKay said. "I don't miss city life at all. I'd like to save it as long as I can."
When she attended Radford University, she realized "I missed being able to go out on your own land. When I went to college, I felt so confined."
Her son Logan, who is part of the family's sixth generation, goes with his mother to the farm market. "He loves the farm," she said. "He's so excited on the mornings that we go."
But McKay, whose primary interest is the market, realizes that without J.R., "I'd have two sets of pretty big shoes to fill to run the entire farm. Mom and Dad work well together."
If McKay took over part of the farm, she also would like for her husband to continue working at his job, she said. "This is not a weekly paycheck," she said of the farm.
"But I am committed to a rural life," said McKay, adding that her husband agrees with her. "The bonds of working together as a family are especially important to them," she said.
J.R. agrees with his sister. He and his wife have "talked this decision over ever since we were dating," he said. "We talked about going first to be with her parents and then to move back to the farm. But we haven't set a date (to move) yet."
"Sometimes I feel like I'm not pulling my share (with the farm), said J.R., who graduated from Virginia Tech with an agricultural degree. But his father keeps reminding him that "you're in a successful farming operation" in Mechanicsville, he said.
Deciding to make that move "will be tough," J.R. said. "It will be even tougher when the time comes to go. We'll have to find something to add to the mix. But I do see us coming back" to the home farm in Frederick County.
"I loved growing up on the farm," J.R. added. "I'd like to see my kids and grandkids have that experience also."
He said he feels lucky to be part of a 100-year farming tradition.
"To have had that in the family and to have had it in the family so long, it's really something special."
Marker-Miller family earns Century Farm designation
By Charlotte J. Eller
Special to The Winchester Star
By Charlotte J. Eller
Special to The Winchester Star
 |
| John R. Marker Jr. and his wife Caroline pick apricots at Marker-Miller Orchards and Farm Market. The farm will mark its 100th birthday on Saturday, and the family is throwing a party to celebrate. (Photo by Ginger Perry) |
|
6 generations and 100 years Marker-Miller family earns Century Farm designation |
"I loved it," said John R. Marker Jr., 61, about those rides with his dad, J. Ralph Marker Sr. "I loved to be going with him out on the farm."
Marker, who was 6 years old when his father died unexpectedly in 1953, followed his family into farming, a vocation born out of his love for the land and his family's heritage.
For 100 consecutive years, the Markers, six generations strong, have farmed that land.
The farm has reached the century mark, and Virginia recognizes the milestone of continuous operation by one family through its Century Farm Program.
Established by the General Assembly in 2007, the program honors the farms and their owners. Thus far, 1,028 farms have been recognized. Ten of them are in Frederick County.
The Marker-Miller family will host a party from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday to celebrate the farm's 100th birthday -- with a cake-cutting ceremony at 2 p.m. and live music from 1 until 3 p.m.
The farm was acquired by John Marker Jr.'s great-grandfather, Amos E. Marker, July 11, 1908, from the estate of John H. Buncutter.
After Amos Marker died, Marker Jr.'s grandfather, John D. Marker, and then his father, J. Ralph Marker Sr., tilled the soil. When J. Ralph Marker Sr. died, his sister Fay Marker Miller and his wife Ada Marker (later Ruble) operated the farm.
Now John and his wife Carolyn, with their two children, John R. Marker III (known as "J.R."), 37, and Heather Marker McKay, 32, carry on the family farming heritage.
 |
| Marker-Miller Orchards celebrates 100 years John Marker rides through an apple orchard with his grandson Logan McKay, 4, at Marker-Miller Orchards and Farm Market -- on Cedar Creek Grade southwest of Winchester. The Marker-Miller family will host a party -- from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday -- to celebrate the farm's 100th birthday; a cake-cutting ceremony is planned for 2 p.m., with live music from 1 until 3 p.m. (Photo by Ginger Perry) The above photo and description appeared on Friday 18 July 2008. |
"Jeff grew up in town, but I think he likes the country now," she said. "He fell right into it."
McKay, who has a master's degree in physical therapy, works three days a week at Winchester Medical Center. The rest of the week, she works at the farm market. Jeff McKay is an information specialist at Valley Farm Credit.
J.R. Marker III and his wife Mitzi, 34, live in Mechanicsville, where they run Sandy's Plants Inc., a 30-acre nursery of rare and unusual perennials in Mitzi's family.
The couple have a son, Aaron, 6, and a daughter, McKenzie, 3. They keep an active interest in the farm in Frederick County.
The Marker family grows peaches, apples, and other fruits and vegetables on the nearly 900-acre farm at 3035 Cedar Creek Grade southwest of Winchester.
About eight years ago, they opened a farm market and bakery there. When the market opened, the family decided to end its beef cattle operation.
Recalling his father's love of farming, John Marker recently discussed some of J. Ralph Marker Sr.'s accomplishments and his interest in trying new agricultural methods.
"He was enthusiastic about farming. He was interested in trends, doing new things. They had been in orchards and had cattle, but he was trying to improve the cow herd."
"In 1953, he was going to grass silage (fermented fodder), feeding alfalfa, and going to chop it for silage. He chopped it early (that year), but he was dead before it was fed."
His father was 36 years old when he died of a heart attack while baling hay for a neighbor.
"Even though I was young, I guess I understood (his dad's farming interests). And as I grew up, a lot of his friends made really nice comments about him," John Marker said.
In an "almost unheard-of" decision for women in the 1950s, Fay Marker Miller, whose husband died in World War II, and Ada Marker pitched in to keep the farm going when their brother and husband died.
"Life wasn't easy for the women farmers, but they made numerous improvements and did a good job in running the operation," John Marker said.
The two women, now deceased, were very different. "Mom was more laid-back and my aunt was more assertive. And I admire them tremendously," he said.
"They made a conscious effort to keep the farm. And I believe this was their concept all along, that they wanted to keep the farm for me," he added.
Over the years, John Marker worked on the farm after school and in the summer. He graduated in 1969 from Virginia Tech with an agriculture degree, specializing in animal science.
Nevertheless, he said, his family never pressured him to stay on the farm. His decision to be a farmer was his own.
ThatÂ’s the same policy Carolyn and John follow with their children, even though both were active on the farm growing up and were leaders in the Future Farmers of America.
Carolyn Lee Marker, who grew up on a small farm in Hampshire County, W.Va., worked at Winchester Medical Center. She rented a room in a house across from the home of Fay Marker Miller, who often would ask Carolyn over for pie or a meal.
Carolyn met her future husband's family there.
"I met his parents before I met him. I always had sworn I would never marry a farmer," she said recently. "But I have learned never to say never."
She remembers Fay Marker Miller and Ada Marker Ruble lovingly. The latter was especially dear to her.
"I could have looked the world over and never have found a mother-in-law as wonderful as she was," Carolyn said.
Looking to the future, John and Carolyn Marker hope to continue their farm-related work in the best way they can.
"It's a hard business," Carolyn said.
"But we're going to be here for a while," her husband added. "We have 300 acres in apples. And we'll be planting new apple trees this year and next. We want to try some new varieties."
Their children J.R. and Heather also have happy thoughts about growing up on the family farm and are filled with hope about their roles in its future.
Both confirmed that their parents have encouraged them to pursue their own dreams and not to feel compelled to stay on the farm. But they both love the farm and want to keep it alive and operating.
"I love it here," McKay said. "I don't miss city life at all. I'd like to save it as long as I can."
When she attended Radford University, she realized "I missed being able to go out on your own land. When I went to college, I felt so confined."
Her son Logan, who is part of the family's sixth generation, goes with his mother to the farm market. "He loves the farm," she said. "He's so excited on the mornings that we go."
But McKay, whose primary interest is the market, realizes that without J.R., "I'd have two sets of pretty big shoes to fill to run the entire farm. Mom and Dad work well together."
If McKay took over part of the farm, she also would like for her husband to continue working at his job, she said. "This is not a weekly paycheck," she said of the farm.
"But I am committed to a rural life," said McKay, adding that her husband agrees with her. "The bonds of working together as a family are especially important to them," she said.
J.R. agrees with his sister. He and his wife have "talked this decision over ever since we were dating," he said. "We talked about going first to be with her parents and then to move back to the farm. But we haven't set a date (to move) yet."
"Sometimes I feel like I'm not pulling my share (with the farm), said J.R., who graduated from Virginia Tech with an agricultural degree. But his father keeps reminding him that "you're in a successful farming operation" in Mechanicsville, he said.
Deciding to make that move "will be tough," J.R. said. "It will be even tougher when the time comes to go. We'll have to find something to add to the mix. But I do see us coming back" to the home farm in Frederick County.
"I loved growing up on the farm," J.R. added. "I'd like to see my kids and grandkids have that experience also."
He said he feels lucky to be part of a 100-year farming tradition.
"To have had that in the family and to have had it in the family so long, it's really something special."