Keeping the Faeth

In a typical year, the Faeths harvest about 15,000 bushels of more than 50 different varieties of apples grown on 20 acres.

When Loren Faeth, 52, surveys his family's fifth-generation apple orchard near Fort Madison, Iowa (pop. 10,715), he sees its rural landscape through the lens of history.

"When my great-great grandfather came here from Germany, he built a log cabin right there," Faeth says, pointing to a stand of trees across the road. "His son, my great-grandfather, built the main house in 1873 and then a few years later added the barn. Every part of this land is tied to my family's history in some way."

Loren and his brother, Lynn, 44, assumed ownership of the orchard in 2004 from their father, Marvin, knowing they were taking over a family legacy—not just a business.

"When I was a kid I just worked in the orchard and didn't have much sense of its history," Lynn says. "But once I was older, I realized that we are part of a long history that we need to try to continue for the next generation."

That history includes being one of the oldest family-owned orchards west of the Mississippi River, and what is believed to be Iowa's oldest commercial orchards continuously owned by the same family. In fact, Faeth Orchards began in 1842 with German immigrant Jacob Faeth, who planted apple trees around his new home in southeast Iowa. The practice was continued by his son, Adam, and grandson Herbert, who began to deliver apples by truck to neighboring towns in the 1920s. By the fourth generation, the reputation of Faeth Orchards was well-established, with Marvin planting additional trees, building new storage and packing sheds, and continuing to market apples throughout the region.

In a typical year, the Faeths harvest about 15,000 bushels of more than 50 different varieties of apples grown on 20 acres. Some of the fruit is pressed and made into juice—between 10,000 and 15,000 gallons, depending on the size of the harvest. The rest of the apples are sold either at the Faeth farm or at area grocery stores. The Faeths also sell other fruits grown on the farm, including peaches, pears, plums, grapes, cherries, nectarines and blueberries.

Depending upon the season, the orchard employs up to 10 workers, but most of the work is done by Loren and Lynn and their wives, Arleen and Heather. All have other jobs in addition to their orchard work, which is done mainly on weekends.

Visitors from all 50 states and many foreign countries have traveled to Faeth Orchards, including some who've been visiting for decades. "I remember my parents coming here for apples when I was young," says Rosemary Durham, 80, of Hamilton, Ill. (pop. 3,029). "Before moving back to this area I lived for about 30 years in Colorado and Oklahoma, and each fall I'd always have the Faeths ship me a bushel of apples. Their apples are just better tasting than anything you can buy in a store."

Such loyalty clearly pleases Marvin Faeth, 87, who continues to live on the farm and take an active interest in its operation.

"I've got six grandchildren, and my hope is that at least some of them will want to carry on our farm," he says. "The apple business has been a lot of hard work, but it's a good life."

Call (319) 372-1307 or visit www.faethorchards.com for more information.

Lori Erickson is a freelance writer based in Iowa City, Iowa.

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