Dennis McGarrah says that according to his father, he's the sixth or seventh generation, but tells everyone that he's the fourth "because I feel like if you go back more than four generations ago, everybody farmed, because that's how they provided for their family and that's basically how they ate."
"My great, great, great, great grandfather, George McGarrah was the first European settler in Northwest Arkansas and he was credited with the establishment of the city of Fayetteville in 1828. Our family's been here and farming the area ever since then," he said.
McGarrah explained that produce like strawberries, tomatoes, grapes, and apples were high in this area from the 1900s - 1970s
"Some of the processing plants left this area in the 70s 80s and 90s, and a lot of that production moved elsewhere when that happened. And of course, a lot of the farms have become subdivisions since then," McGarrah said.
McGarrah stated that there are a couple of farms that still grow strawberries. He points to Travis Appel with Appel Farms and Bill Reagan with Reagan Farms, saying the farmers talk to each other and avoid competition. He says the weather dictates a good or bad strawberry season.
"They like dry weather. So when you get some disease issues because of all the rain, we ended up losing pretty much the back half of our strawberry crop. So we hope what got us last year doesn't get us this year," McGarrah said.
"That's the reason everybody doesn't grow strawberries in Northwest Arkansas. The rainiest part of the year is right during strawberry season and strawberries like it to be dry and warm. So ideal strawberry weather is dry. 60-degree nights, 80-degree days. That's perfect ripening weather," McGarrah added.
McGarrah explained that his father began their farm's transition to direct-to-consumer farming. Yet, hardships don't avoid any farmer, including his grandfather.
"In the winter, he would work at the chicken factory if it was a rough year. So that way he could keep the farm and keep it in our family," McGarrah said.
The McGarrah Farms Rivercrest Orchard will host their Strawberry Festival starting Saturday, May 6, and continue through June. It's hosted at their Rivercrest Orchard Farm located at 2991 S Dead Horse Mountain Road in Fayetteville.
"We're going to make it an annual thing. If the weather doesn't cooperate well, we're just going to do our best to adapt and overcome," McGarrah said.
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