Kerry Mattics has fond memories of growing up on his family's orchard just west of Olathe, Colorado.
"Well, the way I understand it, mom and dad were living in Denver way back and they were over here one weekend or week visiting. I think some shirttail relation, we'll say, had a place here and dad came. They came to talk to him and he wanted to sell the place and I don't know what all happened, but dad ended up buying it, and dad was a city boy. So, the first little while, dad was having to learn how to do everything, including how to start a tractor," Mattics reminisced.
Growing up, Mattics remembered the abundance of orchards surrounding their own property, but overtime things began to change. Some neighbors sold off and moved on. Even the Mattics family had to make adjustments to changing times and unstable markets.
"A larger percentage of the acres is vegetables. We kind of made the transition in the early 2000's. The first vegetables that we were growing was tomatoes and peppers, bell peppers. And then slowly it worked into other stuff. At the time, you know, we were trying to get away from orchards because the market was not great," he said.
The longtime Olathe farmer said moving to vegetables provided greater flexibility year after year, allowing them to plant a variety of produce. He said owning and operating an orchard represents at fifteen to twenty year commitment.
"In general, if you're planting trees, number one, it's generally three to five years before you get into production and you're kind of what you plant is what you've got, you know, for a few years. And markets change, people's tastes, changes."
While some farmers choose to sell their produce in farmers markets , CSA's (Community Supported Agriculture) or run produce stands on their property, Mattics takes his wares into Montrose, about ten miles south.
"So, we have two stands in Montrose. One is on East Main and San Juan, and the other is out south by the south City Market. That's where a lot of our produce goes up and then we have a couple, four or five vendors that come and pick stuff up here and take it wherever they sell it," Mattics said.
When asked about the next generation, Mattics said he's not sure what will happen, but for now he's just focused on this year's harvest.
