MILLERSBURG, Ohio – Abe Miller and his family grow onions, tomatoes, sweet corn, and more for retail sales. Their greenhouse supplies plants to home gardeners. They farm with horses and raise spelt to feed them. Kunekune pigs graze in a pen. Plus, in season, the Millers process deer.

“We are probably the most diversified farm that I know of,” Miller said. “Yesterday my wife and I and three of our kids made jelly, 870 jars of it, to sell at the farm market. Lydia Ann takes care of that but she told me she needed a fast way to do it so I helped.”

The family is Miller’s wife, Lydia Ann, and five kids, Martha, age 9, Emmanuel, 7, Melinda, 6, Johnny, 2, and Magdalena, who is just 6 months old. Miller’s brother, Paul, returned to the farm three years ago after working at Yoder’s Produce.

“It is a major blessing to have him back,” Miller said. “He got married last year in August, so he and his wife, Rachel work here. And (saying this with a chuckle) our mom, Anna, tells us what to do almost every day. She is still involved.”

The family also hires seasonal help. Their major effort goes toward growing vegetables for retail sales at their Blessing Acres farm market, open from mid-April through October. They start the year by planting onions in the greenhouse at the end of January. Onions are followed by a wide variety of vegetables and other crops.

“We grow spelt to feed our horses and we thrash the spelt,” Miller said. “We buy hay for the horses. We farm with horses and have no tractors other than the one sitting in the corner that doesn’t work. We have six draft horses for field work and we raise colts with those. They’re not working every day of the year.”

This was the family’s fifth year processing deer. In the first year, they handled 278 deer. This year that number had grown to 1,390.

“That keeps us hopping all year,” Miller said. “With any kind of meat other than deer there are all kinds of regulations and inspections. There are no inspections for deer other than the guy bringing in the deer. If we’re not clean enough for him he is not going to come back.”

Miller’s grandfather bought the 86-acre farm in 1942. The family uses no synthetic fertilizers and no chemical herbicides. They use cover crops, manure and composted manure.

“We are not certified organic but that’s what we do,” Miller said.

Is it a good life? Financially, Miller would be better off working for a big company.

“In years past I have told my wife I’m going to forget about this farm and go get a job and she tells me, ‘Abe you know you would never be happy.’ And I agree with that. Is it a good life? It is absolutely great. Is every day good? Some days are better than others. Whenever the sun shines that is a good sign it is going to be a decent day.

“The main reason that I like farming is because of our kids,” he said. “I have memories of growing up on the farm; we work hard and play hard. I could go get a job but then I would be gone from 5 in the morning till 4 every day. I just think this might be a better option.”