It’s the end of a local era. H.G. Haskell, owner of Hillgirt Farm and the iconic SIW produce stand on Creek Road in Pennsbury Township, is calling it quits, retiring from farming.
The announcement came via the SIW website on March 19. During a brief interview, Haskell only said, “I have mixed emotions about retiring, but I won’t miss the stress.”
While Haskell didn’t go into his reasons for retiring now, it’s well-known that the flooding from Hurricane Ida was devastating and the closing of Creek Road north for the replacement of Twin Bridges has hurt business.
In the announcement on the SIW website, he said in part: but the announcement read, in part:
"It has been an incredible journey. I’ve had the privilege of working alongside many local chefs and so many wonderful people from this community. We’ve seen the farm grow and change over the years and weathered many challenges, but our commitment to providing fresh, nutritious food has always remained the same. I’m grateful for all the support from our customers, and I will miss seeing everyone come through the stand each week."
The statement also said there’s been no final decision on what to do about the events held at Hillgirt Farm.
Fellow farmer Randell Spackman, owner of Thornbury Farm in Thornbury Township, said Haskell’s retirement and the closing of SIW is “the end of an era.”
“Another fellow long-term farmer, another end of an era in a changing landscape. With Pete’s Produce retiring and now H.G., choices of farm markets and local produce does get tougher. Farmers are aging out,” Spackman said.
Spackman said he used to see Haskell on a weekly basis.
“He’s going to be a missed face among us other growers.”
“Farmers are a close community. We lend each other tractors or equipment and help when things fail in the greenhouse. We really give a lot of help. It hurts our whole little family because there aren’t many of us out there.”
But there’s another connection between Spackman and Haskell. Spackman is the president of the Chadds Ford Historical Society and the biggest fundraiser for CFHS is the annual Great Pumpkin Carve. Haskell had been supplying the pumpkins for decades. Spackman said his farm would pick up the slack.
Haskell’s full statement can be found here.
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
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