It is no secret that the agricultural industry has experienced countless transformations throughout the years. Ever-changing as the industry is, however, one thing is true: The family farm remains alive and well in North Carolina. Dan McConnell and his family-owned-and-operated McConnell Farms in Hendersonville are a prime example of this thriving tradition.

McConnell Farms has a rich and long history. The farm has been in the family since the 1940s when it was purchased by McConnell’s grandfather. About 150 acres, the farm was once a dairy and produced burley tobacco, but over the years, has changed into a diverse operation that includes the production of 12 acres of apples, six acres of asparagus and 14 acres of strawberries. The farm also produces bedding plants, hanging baskets, greenhouse tomatoes, micro-mix greens, blackberries, rhubarb, jams, jellies, ice cream and even Japanese Maples. McConnell Farms has a wholesale and retail business, and most of their products are sold at the family’s stand on the farm and at festivals in the region.

Though the farm has 30-35 employees, McConnell insists that it is still a family-oriented operation. Both of McConnell’s parents are still involved, his father with the overall operation and his mother as bookkeeper and as a helper with the farm’s retail sales. His sister creates most of the advertising, his uncle tends to the asparagus operation and his aunt assists with retail sales. McConnell himself handles the taxes for the farm and his wife manages the payroll. Between the planting and harvesting seasons the family stays busy.

“My wife says that during the work season it doesn’t pay to be related to us,” McConnell says with a smile.

Though McConnell embraces the valuable tradition of family farming, he understands the need for change. Though he laughs and says that it might be his downfall, McConnell mentions that he is always ready to try something new.

“I try to keep my hand on the hot new trends,” McConnell says, “and I try to predict what the next new trend will be.”

This desire for the latest information and farming procedures led McConnell Farms to its current venture with the North Carolina Foundation Seed Producers. Through this foundation and cooperation with the micropropagation unit at N.C. State University, McConnell grows certified, disease-free strawberry plants. After purchasing the tissue-cultured strawberry plants from the unit, McConnell increases the number of plants by cutting off their runners or “ends” and rooting them within a closely monitored greenhouse atmosphere. The result is more plants (anywhere from 6 million to 8 million can be produced from just a few thousand plants) that are also disease free. McConnell and his family work hard to maintain this disease-free status of their strawberry plants by keeping the plants in a clean and routinely inspected environment.

“These are very pure plants,” McConnell says. “They are very clean…they receive no surface water, just water from a deep well, and they have never been in a field.”

McConnell says his disease-free plants are more durable and hardy once out in the field, traits that buyers want to see. McConnell Farms currently sells strawberry plants to buyers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee.

Through all of the work and adventures, however, McConnell still looks to his family as the backbone of the farm, and though the misconception exists that family farms are a thing of the past, McConnell insists that is just not so.

“I think that there still is going to be a great future for the family farm,” he says. “There are niches to fill…people are starting to stand up and wonder where their food comes from, and the family farm can fill that niche.”