Born and Bred for Farming
Born and Bred for Farming
Colin Manning, the newest member of our farm production team, is really born and bred for farming. Having grown up locally in the Ironia section of the neighboring town of Randolph, he was influenced by family members who farmed and the local community’s farming roots. Ironia is one of four sections of Randolph Township and… Read More »
Colin Manning, the newest member of our farm production team, is really born and bred for farming. Having grown up locally in the Ironia section of the neighboring town of Randolph, he was influenced by family members who farmed and the local community’s farming roots. Ironia is one of four sections of Randolph Township and was a booming agricultural area at one time and home to numerous generations of farms. Both Colin’s mom and grandfather were backyard farmers for as long as he can remember which impacted Colin from an early age. Farming is literally in his blood as Colin’s grandfather went to school for agriculture before his ventures as a chicken farmer prior to being drafted for the war. After WWII his grandfather returned home and began dabbling in production farming on a section of land in Western PA. Colin recalls fondly the tractors and equipment that his grandfather used on his original farm in Western PA where Colin would work summers learning about sweet corn and Angus beef. Once his grandfather settled back in the area Colin loved helping his grandfather with farm chores and cultivated his love of farming alongside growing sweet corn in his grandfather’s backyard garden in Randolph N.J.
Colin knew what he wanted to do after high school and applied to the Virginia Tech Ag program graduating with a crop science degree class of 2020. While at college he learned about soybean, corn, and wheat production through his internship opportunities and advanced learning. Colin accepted a position at KWS after graduation from VA tech where he worked as an ag technician innovating varieties of soft red winter wheat to improve crop yield and disease resistance to feed a growing population. Colin joined our team this Winter, a perfect time to acquire fruit and vegetable experience. His training will include greenhouse growing, cultivating, and sowing while eventually
obtaining fruit and veggie harvesting in the field experiences later this year.
Colin joins a full-time farm production team of six which includes Craig, the farm production manager, Hector, the co-assistant farm production manager, along with the senior production team of Marcos, Gaspar, and Stephanus. Colin has already worked in the fields on a variety of Wintertime projects including installing trellis systems for our brambles, pruning our apple trees, the workings of the cider mill and learning more about the various farm operations and equipment.
Alstede Farms, of Chester N.J., is proud to welcome Colin to the growing farm production team. Colin, an ag enthusiast and crop scientist, will have plenty of opportunities to highlight his greenhouse knowledge and field crop experience as he learns more about the 250 varieties of fruits and vegetables grown on the farm in his new role. Alstede Farms is a proud major contributor to the community by providing opportunities for local employment as well as serving as the anchor of the local food hub. Alstede Farms donates to many local causes and is a champion in combatting food insecurity. You can read more about our local food donations on a continuing blog.
