Ganyard Farm Opens in New Durham, N.C., Site
By BriAnne Dopart, The Herald-Sun, Durham, N.C.
Sep. 28–DURHAM — When Kendall Smith stepped out the door of the tobacco pack house-turned-admissions office at the new Ganyard Hill Farm, she looked as though she was coming home.
“I used to like to come pick pumpkins every year,” Smith said of the farm’s old location off Lynn Road.
But when Smith and her grandparents saw the popular pumpkin farm’s sign for its new quarters on Sherron Road, they decided to stop in and relive some old memories.
Ganyard Hill Farm’s new location is slightly more rustic than Smith and her family remembered. They were quick to notice that there were no houses on the horizon, as there were at the old farm.
“And the hayride goes far out into the country,” owner Milton Ganyard told them, adding that the path of the hayride was a lot bumpier at the new farm, “but the kids seem to like it.”
This year, according to Ganyard, fewer children will get the opportunity to experience the pumpkin farm because rising fuel costs have limited public school field trips. But he hopes the farm’s new location and added attractions will draw groups and families alike.
Before becoming Farmer Ganyard, as he is called on the farm’s child-friendly Web site, Milton Ganyard was the owner of an agricultural research company that he says left him “stressed out 24/7.”
He credits his late wife Karen for helping him find a new career in which he could put his love of farming to use.
In recent years, Ganyard sold the old farm to developers and moved to Fuquay-Varina before coming back to Durham in search of land to rent. He began working on the new farm in late April and has planted multiple pumpkin patches, cornfields and pathways.
At the farm’s new location, children can pick their own pumpkins, see how cotton grows and pick, shuck and shell corn to feed the animals at the new barnyard. The giant haystack, a mountain of hay bales set out for children to climb on, has grown at the new farm and now features a tunnel.
The corn-picking field is another addition to the farm, which Ganyard feels will help kids better understand where their food comes from.
“When they see with their eyes and then do with their hands, they’re going to retain it,” Ganyard said.
DOWN ON THE FARM:
–What: Ganyard Hill Farm
–When: Fall hours of operation are Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
–Where: 319 Sherron Road
–Cost: General Admission is $11, including all farm activities and a pumpkin.
–Additional information: Call (919) 596-8728 or visit www.pumpkincountry.com.
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