170-year-old family farm brings fall activities to the community

BERRIEN COUNTY, Mich. -- Families picked apples, visited the pumpkin patch, fed goats and played on vintage tractors during the 170th season of Jollay Orchards.

The event allowed Berrien County 4-H members to celebrate last year's achievements, after the August fair season, " For families being here today is an opportunity to kind of start off the year on a positive note and kind of relax after fair and everything from August, and just kind of celebrate all their achievements from last year," said Katrina Schneider, the Berrien County 4-H Club Coordinator

Jon Jollay, an eighth-generation Jollay Orchards Farmer said the story of the orchard started in a barn, "The story goes that they came in and built the barn first, and then a one-room log cabin, where and that's where everything started. So, in 1857, my family came over from Germany, and it all started there."

Jollay said a freeze this year heavily damaged the farm's tart cherry crop, but peaches and a strong apple crop helped offset the loss.

Schneider said the county program has grown and has expanded beyond animal projects.

"Some of the changes that I've seen has been a little bit of move away from the animal project areas to include more opportunities and like the STEM activities and robots and shooting sports and stuff like that."

Jollay said it's important for younger generations to learn about rural life, "yeah, I think it's really important that we teach the next generation about farming and agriculture and just rural life in general, and I think it's really exciting to see everyone out having a good time."