Centre County farm continues to thrive after decades and four generations. Here’s how

Located in Howard, Ardry Farms has long been a member of the Happy Valley agricultural community. Passed down through four generations of Ardrys, over nearly a century, the farm’s produce can be found at area farmers markets, restaurants and grocery stores like Wegmans. With so many family farms failing to find their footing in the modern era, Ardry Farms is almost an outlier — so what’s the family’s secret to success?

Samantha Ardry, who married into the family in 2015, says the business’s longevity can be chalked up to a few factors. For one, the farm is almost entirely family-operated, with only the occasional seasonal employee.

“That’s a big part of it. We’re all fully emotionally and financially invested in keeping things going,” she said. Samantha is married to Mark Ardry, who now co-owns and runs the farm alongside brothers Wayne and Tom. In a rom-com-worthy meet-cute, Samantha and Mark first crossed paths at — where else? — the farmers market.

“All three brothers grew upon the farm ... and by high school they were all pretty much decided to keep things going,” she said. “Each brother has their strength ... their own little niche, and they all contribute to the business in that way.”

Then, she noted, Ardry Farms has built up a reputation of growing a few crops, exceptionally well, in large quantities, including potatoes and sweet corn.

Still, the farm has evolved over the years as well, as each generation has stepped up to the helm over time. The prior generation expanded the farms’ potato growing operations, with an irrigation system and the infrastructure necessary to grow more potatoes, and more varieties of potatoes, and to continue storing and selling them over the winter months — an effort that helped the farm gain a financial edge. Then, the current generation expanded the variety of crops grown across the farm’s hundreds of acres, while also overcoming modern challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic and changing consumer preferences.

“With COVID, there was a huge initial boom for local farms,” Samantha said. At the beginning of the pandemic, Ardry Farms set up an online store to help manage the increased influx of sales. As life went back to normal, though, and in-person shopping at farmers markets resumed, the family closed the online store to focus on the local experience so many Happy Valley foodies crave.

“I think more people would rather come to a farmers market or the farm to get those products, because it comes along with that experience,” Samantha said. “They’re getting a one-on-one and memorable experience.”

Until summer farmers market season gets into full swing, the Ardrys are currently preparing for the growing season ahead. They’re readying their greenhouse and to start seeding, as well as prepping the fields. They’re also taking their eggs, supplied by a modest flock of 50 chickens, to auction and selling them to area farm stores — and they’ve definitely seen the increased demand that’s making headlines around the country.

“Usually,” Samantha said, “when you sell your eggs at an auction, you’re lucky to get maybe a dollar a dozen. It’s tough. Usually there’s just so many eggs, you can’t get any money for them — but we’ve been getting $4, $5, $6 a dozen at auction, which is unheard of. You never see that, and I think it’s only going to get worse in the coming months.”

Overall, while reflecting on Ardry Farms’ history, as well as the past few years, Samantha emphasized the family’s appreciation for the community.

“[It’s] just the fact that a big part of our income is that we just go to the farmers market, people show up, and we sell product,” she said. “There’s no guarantee. Every year, during the winter, we try to gauge how much we think we can grow and sell. We take the risk and we plant. We put the labor in every spring and people come [to the farmers market]. That’s a huge deal. We’re grateful to still be able to do what we do.”

Learn more about Ardry Farms at www.ardryfarms.com. You can find Ardry Farms at the Boalsburg Farmers Market, Tuesdays, 2-6 p.m. from May-October, and at the North Atherton Farmers Market, Saturdays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. from May-October.