We are Jim and Lois VanDerwerken. We bought the farm in 1955
and raised our eight children here. We started as a dairy, raised Holstein heifers, and sold cash crops before we opened the Pumpkin Patch. Our children are spread across the country and all have professions outside of farming, but are still involved with the Pumpkin Patch. Grandchildren come from Idaho, Nevada, Virginia and New Jersey in the summer to help hoe pumpkins. The teenagers are a great help during October. Our children who live far away like to help if they can get back to New York during October. 
We produced pumpkins for a local grocery store chain in the 1980s. In 1985 we had a surplus of pumpkins-more than the store needed. Previously we considered having a pick-your-own operation so this seemed an ideal time to give it a try. The first year we had seven storybook figures and the hayride into the field to pick pumpkins. Eighteen hundred people visited our farm that first October.
Each year something new has been added to make your Pumpkin Patch visit more enjoyable. We can't believe how our business has grown. Now we are seeing second generation customers. We appreciate all who have visited the Pumpkin Patch over the years and have helped make our small beginning grow into what we are today.
