By Casey McCaw
“At our peak, we’re pulling three semi loads of product out a day,” explains Richard Britt, owner of Britt’s Garden Acres in Manhattan. The farm has been passed down through the family, starting with his grandfather in 1946.
The small size of Britt’s roadside produce store does not reflect the actual size of the farm. Britt, who graduated from Kansas State University in fruit and vegetable production, is responsible for more than 500 acres of a variety of produce.
Britt’s Garden Acres sells everything from blackberries, strawberries, and watermelon, to sweet corn, squash, asparagus, spinach, and pumpkins. His wife, Angela, graduated in business from K-State, and handles that aspect of the farm, such as payroll and accounting records.
Britt’s Garden Acres hosts events for families and children in the fall. They set up their Funzone, which includes a bounce house, straw bale maze, potato cannons, a petting zoo, and hayrack rides around the fields. During the week, this draws many school fieldtrips.
Produce from Britt’s Garden Acres can be found at a variety of locations aside from their store. In Manhattan, Eastside and Westside Markets purchase from the farm. Angela travels regularly to farmer’s markets in Manhattan, Topeka, and Beatrice, Neb.
The farm also contracts out to Hy-Vee. Previously, Britt’s shipped to all the Kansas City metro stores, as well as the Hy-Vees in Lawrence, Topeka, and Manhattan. However, using laws of eminent domain, the government will take over 160 acres that Britt farms to widen Highway 18-Britt’s will lose the contract with the Kansas City metro stores since he will not be producing as much product.
This also caused a few other changes for the farm. The land that will be taken for the highway contains his strawberries and blackberries. These are a perennial crop, which means they live year to year without having to plant new seeds. Britt is searching for a new location to replant. Due to decreased space, Britt will be forced to farm only 30 acres of sweet corn this year as opposed to 130 acres in the past. The store will be moving its location a half mile up Scenic Drive away from K-18.
Britt enjoys many aspects of his career. “I just enjoy being out here,” he comments. “It’s nice to be your own boss and be able to control things, and of course do what you love.” He enjoys growing produce that requires a little bit of care, like tomatoes. Sweet corn, on the other hand, is almost a guaranteed crop. After you plant it, there’s not much to do until harvest.
Taking care of the farm is a year-round job. The seasons come to a halt at the end of October, and after a family vacation, it’s time for paperwork, equipment repairs, and a lot of planning for the next season.
