Maple Lane Farms Marietta, NY
One Little Seed
In the beautiful Finger Lakes of New York, the Leubner family continues a multi-generation farming tradition, but they are also keeping up with the times. “I always knew I wanted to be a farmer,” says Tim Leubner, who, along with his sister, Karen, and brother, Ed, run the operation with continued help from their parents, Fred and Alice. Tim said he’s always loved to be outside and grow things. When he was a freshman in high school, he recalls planting his first pumpkins. “I couldn’t believe you could grow so much out of one little seed,” he says. That pumpkin patch has now sprawled to 60 acres.
Social Media “Agvocates”
But it’s Tim and his wife Erica’s daughters who are putting the farm in a modern kind of spotlight. “They’re go-getters,” their dad says. Evelyn, Claudia and, occasionally JoJo when she’s not busy on the soccer field, run an Instagram account @nyfarmgirls with an impressive 27,000 followers. They are also on Facebook and YouTube, where their channel description reads: 3 sisters agvocating for the wonderful world of farming. “They’re amazing and have such a positive voice sharing important information,” Tim says. “People should know where their food comes from.”
Authenticity
The family had no idea that it would take off like it has. Evelyn, the eldest, explains how they started in about 2015 when the girls were scrolling through Instagram and noticed there weren’t very many farmers talking about agriculture. “We had a lot of calf pictures on our phones,” she says with a laugh. “We figured people would trust us because we were actually doing it. Our goal is to share positivity for the dairy industry.” The young women built their following by being their authentic selves and sharing what they love and have fun doing: from caring for calves, to funny Instagram stories from the state fair. It remains to be seen if they will become the family’s next generation of farmers. Evelyn is studying animal science in college, but thinks she might go into agriculture-related marketing. Seems like she already has that down.
Check out all the buzz over at NYfarmgirls on YouTube, and follow these young farmers on Instagram & Facebook. In the fall, you can head to Tim’s Pumpkin Patch!
