As you drive towards Maximuck's Farm, the first thing you notice is the solar panels located behind the greenhouses. This upgrade is one of the most recent of several innovations that have taken place in the last ten years on the farm. Maximuck's Farm of Doylestown, Pennsylvania began as a family run farm just after the end of World War II. Originally, about 100 acres of farmland were purchased primarily for grain production, but as business expanded, Maximucks leased additional farmland in the area to increase production.

In the late 1990's, Matt Maximuck, the son of the original owner realized that the surrounding community of Doylestown was changing rapidly. To keep up with the changing area, Maximuck built a farm stand to serve the local residents. Production of field crops was now more diversified with sweet corn and many other locally grown vegetables that were high demand.

A few years later in 2002, Maximucks built their first greenhouse for retail use, and after that began to add one greenhouse each year. Several of these Rimol greenhouses are now used for flower production, while others are used for greenhouse tomatoes and other vegetables. All facets of the farm stand business grew, coming to include perennials and mulch. A Rimol shade structure and Rimol cold frame were also constructed for purposes of retailing and overwintering of the perennials.

In 2007, Maximucks constructed a 30 x 96 Matterhorn greenhouse for hydroponic lettuce. The greenhouse is completely automated, with environmental controls as well as watering and fertilizing of the crops to maximize production. The lettuce is then sold through the farm stand, wholesalers, and directly to restaurants. Maximucks has plans to add another 30 x 96 section to meet the increasing year round demand of their lettuce business.

Maximuck's most recent investment was the installation of solar panels for their farm this year. The solar panels were contracted through a local Pennsylvania company, taking about 6 months to install and get running. Matt, Sr. estimates the payback from the investment in the form of energy costs and tax incentives, to be from five years as the best case scenario to ten years being the worst case scenario. This June, the electric bill was just $6 compared to a typical year in the past of three to four thousand dollars.

Right now the farm is operated by Matt and Cheryl Maximuck and Matt, Jr. who is now the third generation in the family farm. Maximuck's Farm has been opportunistic and innovative in the changing times of the family farm, and is recognized as an eco-friendly business in the Doylestown area of Pennsylvania.

For more information, see www.maximucks.com