By Chris Aldridge
Kentucky Ag News

Reid’s Orchard will officially celebrate its sesquicentennial Oct. 7-15. For those not familiar with the long word, it means the Daviess County orchard/farm and agritourism destination has been around for 150 years.

“We’re two years older than the Kentucky Derby!” fourth-generation owner Billy Reid bragged. “Come celebrate like it’s 1873 again!

“We want to thank the community for 150 years of supporting us,” he added, noting the orchard picked this week for the official celebration since local schools are out for Fall Break. “Come out, enjoy the fall weather, and have some apple cider.”

Reid’s Orchard is known for its apples. For 37 years, it hosted a popular Apple Festival that was named one of the top 10 festivals in Kentucky. Last year’s final edition attracted more than 20,000 people over two days and got to be too large for Reid’s Orchard to handle.

“We had 7,000 cars in our parking lot,” Reid said. “We decided to downsize and have smaller events.”

The Apple Festival has been rebranded the Harvest Festival and moved nearby to the Daviess County Lions Club Fairgrounds in Philpot, Ky.

“The Apple Festival is going away, but new things are coming on,” Reid said, noting the Orchard Music Fest will make its debut next September.

Sharon Spencer, director of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Direct Farm Marketing Division, called Reid’s Orchard a “great family operation.” Billy and Kathy Reid’s three grown kids are directly involved in the orchard. Valerie handles the events, such as school tours, birthday parties, weddings, and receptions. Brad helps his dad with pruning and harvesting. Katie manages the Apple House, which sells fresh fruits and vegetables when they’re in season and Kentucky Proud products all the time, and takes care of the greenhouses, growing everything from spring flowers to tomatoes.

Allan Reid, Billy Reid’s great grandfather, started the family business in the late 19th century. He immigrated from a small village in Scotland to work as a bookkeeper for his two older brothers, who owned a tobacco factory in Livermore, Ky.

“He ate his first peach when he got off the boat in New York City,” Billy said. “He loved fruit. After a year working as a bookkeeper, he said, ‘This is not my thing; I’m going to grow fruit.’”

In 1873, 18-year-old Allan planted the first peach and apple trees on land he bought east of Owensboro near the Ohio River, establishing one of the oldest family-owned businesses in the region. Allan also grew 250 acres of potatoes and planted a pecan grove.

The farm was passed down to Allan’s son, Robert, who served two terms as a representative in the state legislature. He named it Robert Reid & Sons Orchard when Billy’s dad, John, and uncle, Robert Jr., joined the business.

“When my uncle and dad retired, I shortened the name to Reid’s Orchard in 1980,” Billy said.

Like his predecessors, Billy is always looking at new technology to improve the operation. The University of Kentucky’s first Integrated Pest Management Program for apples was established at Reid’s Orchard and is still used today. The orchard also was one of the first in the state to utilize high density apple production with its trees producing 800-1,000 bushels per acre.

For children, Reid’s Orchard boasts a popular play area called “Reidland” that hosts field trips and birthday parties. For more information on the orchard, visit www.ReidOrchard.com.

“We’re open from April to Christmas,” Billy said. “We start in the spring with hanging baskets of flowers, greenhouse tomatoes, and strawberries; in the summer, we have all of our vegetables and peaches; then in the fall, we have apples, pumpkins, and mums.

“We take a little time off after Christmas,” he added, “but then we have to start cleaning up and getting ready for spring again.”