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Agritourism brings new life to a 167-year-old farm and family business.
Bone & Sol Photography
The Jeter family has seen a lot of changes since 1853, when they moved from Bedford County to their farm in Bonsack.
The big red barn standing atop a hill above Route 460 was built in 1871, long before the busy highway that runs beside it. In fact, in 1965, when the existing road became a divided four lane, the family’s original white farmhouse had to be moved for the easement. The top floor now rests near the barn and outbuildings, but the stone foundation was demolished.
Ned Jeter, 64, was born in that original farmhouse, as was his father, Richard Benjamin Jeter. Ned is the second of six siblings, and runs Jeter Farm with his two sons, Ned II, 39, and Darrell, 37. They are the fourth- and fifth-generation farmers of the family, managing over 300 acres at the main property. A second property, The River Farm, lies on the James River in Buchanan.
While Jeter Farm Bonsack grows corn and wheat, Black Angus cattle are the heart of the operation.
“We’ve got about 750 head altogether,” Ned II estimates.
With around 500 brood cows, calving occurs year-round and steers are fattened before selling, mostly to stockyards. They also plan to sell their beef at an on-site country store.
“We’ll have several options,” Ned II explains. “Whole, half, by the pound and pre-packaged, which will be vacuum-frozen and USDA inspected.”
The two brothers and their dad are the only full-time employees on the farm, and days are long. In addition to taking care of cattle and cleaning equipment, the Jeters grow about 200 acres of field corn and 100 acres of wheat, the latter of which is ground into flour at Mennel Milling, in Roanoke County, before heading to area businesses.
Jeter Farm once sold various squash and pumpkins to Kroger, but between the difficulty of finding labor, the cost of supplies and the increasing focus on cattle, it was no longer feasible to sell them commercially. However, Ned says farm-grown squash and sweet corn will also be sold at their country store.
The country store is part of a shift into agritourism that has taken place at the farm in recent years. Though they had long hosted school group visits, it wasn’t until 2007 that the family decided to hold an annual fall festival.
“The margin of profit in farming, whether beef, grains or hay, has gotten smaller and smaller over the years,” Ned notes. “It’s to the point where you have to do more than farming itself, and people like coming out to a farm. We enjoy seeing families coming out and having fun, so it’s a win for them and for us.”
It’s also a lot of work in addition to their regular farm duties. In mid-April, Ned and his sons plant corn and cut a design for the corn maze, a popular attraction which Ned was initially reluctant to undertake.
“He was not about it at all,” Darrell notes dryly.
In May and June there’s mowing hay and planting vegetables. Come mid-June they plant 20 acres of pumpkins, including large “Gladiator” pumpkins, “Cannonball” pie pumpkins and various specialty and decorative varieties. By high summer they’re managing weeds and picking vegetables, and of course there’s also cleaning and sprucing up the attractions, plus permits and insurance for it all.
The first year they held the festival, they weren’t sure what to expect.
“I kept telling them not to get excited or expect too much,” Ned says, but they were happily surprised. “That first week we did what I thought we’d do for the whole season.”
As with all farming, however, much depends on Mother Nature. “If we get rained out three weekends, we might just break even,” says Ned II.
Jeter Farm’s fall festival is held on weekends from the end of September through October. In addition to the corn maze, visitors enjoy hayrides, slides and swings, a pumpkin train and pumpkin cannons aimed at a boat in their pond. There’s also a stunning field of sunflowers and a barnyard zoo with baby calves, cattle, chickens, sheep and more.
The festival runs with help from family (including Ned’s wife Rene, Ned II’s wife Rose and Darrell’s wife Lacee), friends and neighbors. They cook and serve hamburgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob and pumpkin pie. At the country store, they sell local and Virginia-made goods, including apple cider from the Shenandoah Valley.
Darrell notes that even with all the attractions, it’s a working farm and retains that atmosphere, which people enjoy seeing. Ned says they also work to keep prices reasonable (admission is $10) so that ordinary families can come out.
Lest you think all of that’s enough to keep them busy, the Jeters have also started holding a tractor pull every August at The River Farm.
“We’ve got seven classes [of tractor pulls], with 10 to 12 per class competing to see who carries the weight the furthest, dragging a big sled,” says Darrell. “The further you go, the harder it gets, and there’s smoke flying — it’s exciting.”
Spectators sit on the hillside above, which Ned says provides a great view not only of the action, but also the surrounding scenery.
“The sun is setting behind you and you’re looking out over a big cornfield, with the James River behind the field and Purgatory Mountain in the background,” he says.
For the Jeter family, agritourism helps keep their historic family farm afloat. They’ve changed with the times and work hard to keep everything running, but that’s nothing new for farmers.
Says Ned II, “Every day is different, and you’ve gotta be able to adapt.”
For more information on Jeter Farm’s Fall Festival and Tractor Pull, visit jeterfarm.com, facebook.com/JeterFarm, and facebook.com/TheRiverFarmLLC.
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