How It All Began
Schwinn Produce Farm began with a traditional family garden. Jerry Schwinn, father of Joe and Jay Schwinn, kept a large garden just as his own father had before him. One summer, looking for a cantaloupe that finally lived up to his expectations, Jerry planted more than the family could possibly eat.
When the melons ripened, Jerry and his two sons loaded the extra cantaloupe and headed into Leavenworth, where they sold them to the local A&P grocery store. What began as a family garden was beginning to grow into something more.
When the melons ripened, Jerry and his two sons loaded the extra cantaloupe and headed into Leavenworth, where they sold them to the local A&P grocery store. What began as a family garden was beginning to grow into something more.
Growing Up on the Farm
The following summer, Jerry made his sons a proposition: if they cared for what he planted, they could keep the money from whatever they sold. Jay was 11 and Joe was 8. That year's crop was sweet corn, and by the county fair in August, each boy had earned $20 of his own.
Their interests soon began to take shape. Jay wanted to learn more about farming and livestock, while Joe discovered a passion for growing vegetables. With help from his younger sister Marti, Joe expanded the sweet corn patch and began planting other crops through his 4-H gardening project. By high school, he was managing about 10 acres of vegetables.
Their interests soon began to take shape. Jay wanted to learn more about farming and livestock, while Joe discovered a passion for growing vegetables. With help from his younger sister Marti, Joe expanded the sweet corn patch and began planting other crops through his 4-H gardening project. By high school, he was managing about 10 acres of vegetables.
From a Garden to a Farm
After graduating from Immaculata High School, Joe studied vegetable production through the Horticulture Department at Kansas State University. In 1990, the year he graduated, he rented five additional acres from April Valley Farms to increase production.
The operation continued to expand, eventually reaching 45 acres of vegetable production. In 1997, the family purchased land they had previously been renting—land that had once belonged to Joe's grandparents—bringing another piece of the family's farming history back home.
The operation continued to expand, eventually reaching 45 acres of vegetable production. In 1997, the family purchased land they had previously been renting—land that had once belonged to Joe's grandparents—bringing another piece of the family's farming history back home.
The Farm Today
What began with a family garden has grown into generations of farming in the Salt Creek Valley. Today, Schwinn Produce Farm continues the tradition of growing fresh, seasonal produce for the Leavenworth community while adapting and changing with each new season.
From spring flowers to summer sweet corn, tomatoes, cantaloupe, watermelon and peppers, the farm continues to grow many of the seasonal favorites local families have enjoyed for years.
From spring flowers to summer sweet corn, tomatoes, cantaloupe, watermelon and peppers, the farm continues to grow many of the seasonal favorites local families have enjoyed for years.
Rooted in Family
Farming has changed considerably since Jerry first loaded those extra cantaloupes and headed into town, but the heart of Schwinn Produce Farm remains much the same: family, hard work and a commitment to growing quality produce.
Today, the next chapters of the farm's story continue to be written on the same land and through the same family traditions that started it all.
Today, the next chapters of the farm's story continue to be written on the same land and through the same family traditions that started it all.