Local Grown Series George S. Orr and Sons Inc

July 31, 2023

We have had a long history with Orr and many people in our delivery area know them well. They have a beautiful farm and we are proud to spotlight them in our Local Grown Series.

During the depression days in the mid 1930’s, George S. Orr, Jr. helped his grandfather by working on his small fruit and berry farm. This farm was located just west of Martinsburg on the east side of North Mountain (Arden). As a young man George joined the U.S. Navy and traveled to California where he met his wife Juanita. With fruit growing in his blood, George S. Orr, Jr. returned to West Virginia and purchased a 60 acreorchard in 1954 and began a lifetime of growing fruit. With help from his family he increased the size of his orchard to 350 acres by 1979.

The time period of the 1980’s brought progress in several areas. The size of the orchards grew as the farm acquired adjacent properties to lease or buy for production acreage. The diversification of fruits and varieties grown increased as well. The packing facility was updated and enlarged and the brand “My Three Sons” was developed in honor of Mike, Mark, and G.W…George and Juanita’s three sons. When George S. Orr, Jr. passed away in 1989, he was 62. He left his business to his wife Juanita, and their three sons (Mike, Mark, and G.W.). The corporation George S. Orr & Sons, Inc. owned 1,100 acres of orchards at that time, producing 500,000 bushels of fruit annually. The brand was “My Three Sons”.

In 1995 the family opened Orr’s Farm Market, a retail market to serve our local community. As the word spread about the fruits and vegetables being grown, the local customer base multiplied rapidly. The new farm market was needed to accommodate the growing number of customers. Throughout the early 2000’s the retail farm market continued to expand and grow. In 2007, Katy Orr-Dove returned to the farm to help manage the retail operation. She increased the retail farm market, added a bakery, and brought in the school tours and field trips. The pumpkin patch was also added at this time at the request of many customers. A small herd of bison was purchased at the request of animal-lover, Mark Orr. The farm produced bison meat and added that to the farm market offerings for the next decade. The relocation of the cherry patch from Loring Hill Orchards to the Orr’s Farm Market area also occurred at this time to create a more centralized location for all pick your own crops.

2018 brought a splitting of the farm into two parts, which was one of our greatest challenges as a family. Don Dove and Katy Orr-Dove stepped into General Manager positions to assist Mark Orr with the running of the farm. Olivia Orr took over the Barnyard operations and Robbie Roberts and Eric Spindle stepped into orchard positions. During the split, half the orchards went to each brother that remained in the business (Mike and Mark) to operate as they so chose. The Mark Orr family kept ownership of the southern part of our orchards, Orr’s Farm Market, Loring Hill Peach Packing Shed and the Smith Apple Packing Shed. They also retained the growing pumpkin patch and barnyard area. The Mark Orr family brought a more active focus to agritourism, community involvement, and retail sales at the farm.

After three years of operating as a new team, the fall of 2020 brought the sudden loss of Mark Orr. The farm is transitioning to the third generation and will continue to maintain a strong focus on producing top quality fruits and family entertainment. Projects for this year include building new offices, a new bakery, and starting production of the pick your own apple orchards we’ve been establishing for three years. Our goal is to give the community a place to make memories and experience the taste and value of West Virginia Grown fruits and vegetables. Please bring your family and friends to visit us and get to know our family!

George S. Orr, Jr. would be proud of what the family has accomplished so far, but there are many goals still on the horizon. Generations past have left a legacy of determination, innovation, quality, and competition that will not be forgotten.

Why do you do what you do?

Farming is in our blood and we love serving our local neighborhood, and the entire east coast, with top quality tree fruit and vegetables that have been grown in West Virginia. We’re very proud of our West Virginia roots and the skills we’ve learned over 3 generations. Farming is our passion and along with that we get to enjoy the community relationships with our customers.

Tell us something you love about your business

Farming can be thrilling. Each season brings different challenges, and it’s always teaching us that we don’t know everything. However, as those obstacles are overcome…we learn to try our best and trust in God to get the crop harvested. It’s also very rewarding to own a small business and train new staff members. We work with many local teens and it’s fun to teach them about produce. Many of them have never learned about growing their own crops, cooking, or choosing the best fruits. Our goal is to have a business where our customers and staff feel welcome and loved.

Since the inception of your business, HOW has the industry changed?

At the start of our business, farming was more local. Now we have to compete to stay relevant in a global market. Our local customers are served by our on farm market, and our East Coast customers are served by our wholesale department. Also, technology and tourism have both greatly impacted our day to day operations. We host a number of guests to our farm every day and interest in agritourism is increasing. There are less and less customers who live on their own farms, so they find it very interesting to see how we grow and harvest the crops. A day at the farm is hugely popular, and we top it off with delicious homegrown produce and WV hospitality. New technology allows us to run CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) delivery to people’s doorsteps several times a week in Berkeley County, WV. We also use social media to share farm updates and get the work out about what’s happening on our farm. It’s greatly helped us communicate about our pick your own farm and what is ripe and ready to pick as well.

What are a few “challenges” for small / family farms in today’s economy?

Competing with larger co-ops and packing facilities is our number one challenge. Many small farms have sold out to corporate farm companies and it’s difficult to compete with these larger entities. The larger buyers are wanting such large amounts of items at one time that it’s difficult to meet the needs of these businesses with our 550 acre farm. Labor has been a challenge because potential staff do not come to the table with farm skills anymore. You have to teach people how to do many of the tasks that employees used to know coming in. They just haven’t had the experience with gardening, canning, and handling fruits and vegetables. Costs have also skyrocketed in recent years for: packaging, payroll, fuel, and other inputs.

How long have you had a partnership with Crook / Corey Brothers?

We’ve been working with Crook/Corey Brothers for over 15 years now.