Email  Print  Feed

Subscribe to Main Line Today : Main Line Today Web Subscribe to Main Line Today : Westchester Magazine Print Edition Subscribe to : Ardmore Subscribe to : Bryn Mawr Subscribe to : Chadds Ford and Kennett Square Subscribe to : Chester Springs Subscribe to : Conshohocken Subscribe to : Devon and Berwyn Subscribe to : Exton Subscribe to : Malvern Subscribe to : Media Subscribe to : Phoenixville Subscribe to : Radnor Subscribe to : Swarthmore Subscribe to : Valley Forge and King Of Prussia Subscribe to : Villanova Subscribe to : Wayne Subscribe to : West Chester

You Are Where You Eat

We may never know which came first: the chicken or the egg. But one thing is certain: "Buy local" is here to stay.

(page 4 of 9)

Faces Behind the Food

Dan Heckler
You might think that someone who leaves a container out for his customers to pay via the honor system is lacking in business sense, but don't let that fool you. Dan Heckler is both a shrewd businessman and a Jack-of-all-trades when it comes to planting, cultivating, harvesting, maintaining and getting the word out about his organic boutique farm in Pottstown.

"Right now we can't be beat in this niche," says Heckler of his aptly named Jack's Farm.

That might be misconstrued by some as cocky—especially after his last venture, a local home improvement store, lost the battle with large conglomerates like Home Depot and Lowe's. Even so, a little confidence goes a long way.

"We had a large business, and we tried to promote our customer service, but we got clobbered," says Heckler, referring to his previous vocation. "This isn't a cutthroat business. People are willing to share information. When you start to deal with bigger grocers, that's when the trouble starts."

Heckler's formula for success includes succession planting ("You have to have something to sell consistently"), growing a large variety of vegetables and herbs to appeal to both restaurants and home cooks, keeping labor in-house whenever possible, and adding pigs, eggs, homemade ice cream, potted herbs, strawberries and broiler chickens to his offerings.

Currently, Heckler sells directly to restaurants and everyday customers through his farm stand and at Phoenixville Farmers' Market. A varied inventory keeps him busy year-round, and there's always a new seed or batch of soil in progress.

Walking with Heckler through the rows of artichokes, tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic, asparagus, strawberries, radicchio, arugula, claytonia, mizuna, four-plus types of potatoes, five kinds of carrots and more, one is in awe of just how much there is to take care of. And the work rarely happens under perfect conditions. In this bucolic setting, the list of threats is long—rain, drought, foxes, raccoons, deer, groundhogs, beetles, voles, weeds—and potentially expensive.

"Sustainable agriculture means profitable agriculture," says Heckler. "We're in our third year; retail-direct and local are working for us," he says. "But if Jack's isn't where I want it to be in another two years, we'll try something else."

Still, as Heckler picks and nibbles on just about everything that's ready to harvest, and waxes poetic about his wood shop, the thrill of putting a little sweat into his work and using all of his prized skills, it's hard to imagine he'll be changing jobs anytime soon.

Jack's Farm, 1370 W. Schuylkill Road, Pottstown; (610) 326-1802, jacksfarm.net.

Continued on page 5 ...