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.

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