For more than 60 years, the Van Dorp family has been growing strawberries in Northumberland, but farming has never been just about the crops.
It’s about family.
It’s about heritage.
And it’s about passing a way of life from one generation to the next.
Bill and Mary Jean Van Dorp farm roughly 700 acres, growing strawberries in season plus wheat, corn and soybeans on land built upon the work of Bill’s parents, Leonard and Katrine Van Dorp, who immigrated from Holland and established the family farm.
Today, Bill and Mary Jean’s children—Rachel, Chad and Jarrett—represent the third generation helping carry that legacy forward, while a fourth generation is already discovering life on the farm.
In this edition of Growing Up on the Farm, Mary Jean reflects on what it was like raising a family in the country, why farming is more of a lifestyle than a job, the challenges of growing food in an unpredictable climate, and why she hopes future generations will continue the family tradition.
From seven-year-olds learning to drive tractors to explaining why strawberries don’t simply appear on grocery store shelves, it’s an honest conversation about hard work, resilience and the rewards of rural life.
(Written by: Joseph Goden)
