Who Started Ards

Ray and Nancy Ard purchased the farm that is now known as Ard’s Farm and started raising their family and milking cows. They raised 3 children, all of whom had different roles on the farm growing up. As they reached adulthood, Alan was the child who stayed on the farm to be the next generation of Ard’s Farm. After some input from close family friends and confidants, Alan, Ray, and Nancy made the decision to sell the dairy herd and open Ard’s Farm Market.

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A true family business

Today, many of the Ard Family are still working in the family business every day. Alan and Kyle Ard, the owners of Ard’s Farm, still run the day to day operations. Kyle manages the market and oversees operations across all the many departments. Alan manages the farming operation and the smoker. From the best sweet corn in the valley to the acres of pumpkins Ard’s grows every year, Alan spends much of his time making sure the fields are in order and the crops are taken care of. He also is the one responsible for making sure that everything from the Ribs and pulled pork to the hams and cheeses get smoked to perfection. Chef Justin is the master behind the food creations that we serve in our restaurant. From sourcing the freshest ingredients we can find, to making sure that everything prepared for a 1000 person event is perfect, Chef Justin knows food and how to create a fantastic experience for our customers. Ethan runs our fall activities such as the hayrides to the pumpkin patch and corn maze park. He’s also the operator of the Greenhouse at Ard’s Farm.

What the business means to the family

Ard’s has been a family owned and operated business for over 25 years. To the family, Ard’s isn’t just a business it’s a way of life. Ray, Nancy and Alan began the big Ard’s project in 1991. Shortly after Ard’s opened its doors it’s where Ethan and Justin began to play too! Ard’s is where they learned to use a mower for the first time and of course, where they learned to drive a tractor. The business has shaped their individual lives more than imaginable. Now, Chef Midkiff’s kids will get those same opportunities! From learning to feed the pigs to gathering eggs his kiddos will grow up having Ard’s as part of their lives.

The business is also a way they try to give back to their community. Ard’s not only provides the freshest produce, meats, and eggs as possible but they also get those items from other local businesses putting our money back in to our local economy. During the year, Ard’s is also the perfect place for first time jobs. The employees here aren’t just workers to us, they are part of our extended family. This business is an irreplaceable part of the American experience and to the Ard Family.

Timeline

  • Ra-Nan Farms bought the farm and started milking cows

  • March 28, 1991

    The dairy herd was sold and Ard’s Farm Market was born.

  • April 9, 1991

    Ard’s Farm Market opened for business

  • Summer 2001

    Ard’s Chicken BBQs began

  • August 2001

    Ard’s Opened their first Corn Maze, The Australian Outback in the shape of a Kangaroo

  • Spring 2002

    Ard’s began offering catering service

  • June 2003

    First wedding on the farm

  • January 28, 2007

    The Restaurant opened for business

  • Spring 2008

    Ard’s moved to 100% No-Till Farming

  • January 2017

    The restaurant was renovated