About Us
meET the family
Our History
Our family patriarch, Edward Yoder, began farming as a teen in the 1940’s and continued building and expanding his business with his wife Julie, eventually purchasing more land and increasing their beef cattle and grain operations. In 1959, they purchased the Dearth farm near Brownsville, PA where they made their home. The farm was originally settled in 1774 and at that time, was given the name Fruit Hill Farms which the Yoder family retained.
The Yoders raised cattle and poultry, grain and hay crops, blueberries, and dairy cows. Their diverse business included sales of freezer beef, grain, poultry, berries, and cheese. Ed also custom combined grain for local farmers in the late 1960s and early 1970s being one of only two area farmers to own a combine at that time.
Ed truly believed that we are each tasked with being good stewards of the land God gave us and taught his daughters the importance of leaving the land better than it was received. The Yoders instilled a love of farming in their children. Today they both farm. Their youngest daughter, Christina, continues the family legacy of Fruit Hill Farms with her husband Darrell and their adult children: son Andy and daughter Angela, her husband Matt and their young children who are the fourth generation to grow up on the farm and learn to work the land.
Ed and Julie Yoder – The Early Years
Ed and Julie Yoder
Minneapolis Moline combine and Ed’s business card from “back in the day”
The Yoder daughters were raised with parents who encouraged them to absorb everything they could concerning animals and their care, soil and its health, and product quality assurance. They grew up engaged in farming activities and 4-H.
Today at Fruit Hill Farms
Today, our family at Fruit Hill Farms is proud to have three members who are college of Agriculture graduates and are current and former Agriculture Educators. We are all passionate advocates for Agriculture and actively participate in the county Farm Bureau. Our family holds certifications in Beef and Pork Quality Assurance, and are a registered PA Preferred farm, ensuring that we deliver the highest quality products to our valued customers. We also host summer camp programs at the farm and provide farm tours.
our practices
Our joy of raising animals comes through in our practices. All animals are raised on clean pastures and fresh water. Calves, lambs, and pigs are finished on our formulated feed rations ground here at the farm. We DO NOT use routine antibiotics or growth hormones. We pride ourselves on being able to offer a wholesome product to customers that is correctly finished and packaged with care.
With us, it’s about assuring quality by being a part of the animals’ growth from breeding and gestation through feeding. We believe in quality products and only offer products to customers that we would personally put in our own breeding program or on our family’s table.
Visit Fruit Hill Farms!
Whether you come to choose a show animal, see our Barn Quilt, or visit, we are proud of our family farm. We welcome you to come see us!
We are Well Preserved…
We are proud to say we are a Pennsylvania Preserved Farm under the Agricultural Land Preservation Program. One of twenty-eight currently in Fayette County. The nationwide Agricultural Land Preservation Program began in 1988 and currently has preserved more than 53,000 acres nationwide.
Check out our barn quilt!
Barn quilts are a part of Americana, a tradition brought here over 300 years ago by central European immigrants. They were initially used as decorations and navigational aids for travelers but have evolved into a form of public art that preserves regional rural heritage.
You can follow the Barn Quilt Trail here or check out ours at Fruit Hill Farms. Our quilt pattern was chosen by family, was gauged to size by friend Chris Hall of Morgantown, WV, and painted by the Fayette County Career and Technical Institute Agriculture students in Fall 2021.
Our Partners
We have partnered with these organizations which support and promote agriculture, our region, and agritourism.
Contact us
Address
295 Krepps Lane, East Millsboro, PA 15433