LORAIN COUNTY, Ohio — For most Northeast Ohio farmers, October is the month of harvest after a season’s worth of toiling in their fields. For one Lorain county farmer, however, this year’s haul certainly isn’t the biggest or the best — but he’s thankful all the same.
Surrounded by the fruits — and vegetables — of his labor, Richard Sasack, the fifth generation farmer of Butternut Farm in Eaton Township, is content. From giant squash to tiny ghost peppers, his roadside stand has a fresh assortment of produce available at reasonable prices. His wares started as seeds and grew in the 50 manicured acres that make up the family farm.
“I’m 33 years old and I’m the fifth generation,” Sasack said. “When my great grandmother went into the nursing home six years ago, that’s when I really took things over and implemented a lot of new strategies.”
Butternut Farm’s humble beginnings date back to 1942. Decade after decade and generation after generation, the family-run operationhas grown deep roots in the community, over time becoming a local landmark of sorts. In addition to the fresh produce, it has also become a family spot for pumpkins and, at one time, hayrides.
Over the past 80 years, the family has grown enough to sustain the operation and sell enough to ensure a new round of crops can be planted in the spring.
“We do it the old-school way. Most of my equipment is from the 1960s but if you take care of it it will take care of you,” Sasack said. “We still do everything the old-school, mechanical way.”
The harvest this year certainly won’t rank among the family’s best. The fact that there is any harvest at all is, in itself, a miracle.
“I would say that we’re very blessed to have what we have this year. All I can say is that next year will hopefully be better,” Sasack said. “This spring, I was all excited, ready to plant crops like we normally do, business as usual. It was probably mid-February that I found out that the farm was being listed for sale.”
In late March, family infighting over inheritance and the family trust that oversees Butternut Farm forced the farm’s acreage and all of its equipment onto the auction block. Using the money that he had, Sasack bought back the equipment that he could.
That’s when community members that wished to remain anonymous took care of the rest.
“They were the ones that ended up buying the land,” Sasack said. “They said, ‘here, we’re going to help your family. Go ahead and farm it this year. I was in utter shock. There’s really no way to describe the joy of how sometimes you have friends and neighbors that will do more for you than your actual family did.”
The arrangement allowed Sasack to plant what he could on roughly 20 percent of the acreage this season. A full planting season wasn’t possible because of the legal limbo the property was in.
Sasack is incredibly thankful for the harvest he had.
“The old saying ‘blood is thicker than water’ isn’t necessarily true,” Sasack said. “All I can do is take each day as it comes and see what next spring brings. Spring is a chance at a new beginning is how I look at it.”
