MARIETTA - Produce from Witten Farm Market & Greenhouses' can be found in 13 different towns in West Virginia and Ohio.
Now the Wittens are kneeling in their cornfield in Lowell on the cover of this month's American Vegetable Grower, a nationally recognized magazine based in Willoughby, Ohio.
"We were really excited," Tom Witten said about being in the national spotlight. "There's only two or three national vegetable grower magazines, and this is really the nicest one. It's the biggest news around here for a long, long time."
Tom Witten and his siblings Scott Witten and Julie Witten, who oversee the day-to-day operations of the Witten family farm, all contributed to the article, titled "Masters of Marketing," in which they share the history of the farm, as well as the secrets to their family's success.
Tom Witten said his family's farm was chosen for the article because of the unique manner in which its produce is sold - on 14 "wagons" spread across several different counties in Ohio and West Virginia.
"That's become our satellite stand rather than a permanent building," he said. "It isn't uncommon - there's a lot of people with one or two satellites - we've taken it to a different level."
For one thing, Tom Witten said, the produce at the stands, which are set up from strawberry season to Labor Day, is guaranteed to be fresh every day.
"We pick corn at 2 in the morning so the farthest markets can have fresh corn every single day," he said. "That's what we're known for - having fresh stuff."
Witten said the satellite stands are more convenient for customers than produce stands set up in permanent buildings, and allow for more flexibility.
"Nobody wants to drive 15 or 20 miles to a farm market," he said. "They will on occasion, but if you're going to make a living on this sort of thing, you have to move a little bit of volume."
Witten said the farm first got started in 1958, when his grandparents, Ralph and Frances Witten, purchased the property along Ohio 60, where they grew vegetables and raised cows (as well as their seven children) and operated a farm market.
Today, several family members help manage and operate the 290 acres of fruits and vegetables, and Tom Witten's dad, Jerry, manages the 800 acres of field corn and soybeans and 120 black Angus steer.
Kari Burkey, organization director for the Ohio Farm Bureau, said the Wittens are in a good position, because the demand for the type of products they offer is on the rise.
"Consumers today are wanting more and more local, home-grown produce, and so with them having 15 or 16 markets not only in Washington County but in the surrounding counties as well, that filled a niche and meets consumer demand."
