Evolving With the Needs of the Time

Anne-Marie Hardie

Farming to Bill Tolmachoff is much more than an income: it’s a lifestyle. A lifestyle and livelihood that has grown and evolved with the shifting needs of the community.

For Bill, this involved transitioning Tolmachoff Farms’ 1,200 acres into a summer vegetable crop and creating a farm park during the months of October and December. Prior to this conversion, the majority of the crops grown at the farm were alfalfa and corn silage that was harvested for the local dairy farmers. However, the dairy industry began to struggle, resulting in one of Tolmachoff’s main dairy clients filing for bankruptcy. Bill knew it was time for a change, but he wasn’t ready to leave the family business behind. So instead, he converted it to reflect the new culture of the community—a culture that lacked the exposure to a real farm.

“I had to find another alternative to make more money with less ground to pay my bills,” Bill said. The solution was to enter the “agri-tainment” industry, shifting his focus from farming alfalfa to developing corn mazes. This was almost 15 years ago, and today, Tolmachoff Farms continues to bring the Glendale, Arizona, community together for both fresh vegetables and family fun.

It’s this ability to adapt with the needs of the community that has kept his family business alive from generation to generation. It began with Bill’s great grandfather William, who immigrated to Arizona from Russia before farming was even a viable lifestyle. In fact, it wasn’t until 1912 that the land in Glendale was even developed for farming.

Shortly thereafter, Tolmachoff Farms began with the family growing animal feed, including corn silage, and then slowly expanding to include vegetables in the 1940s. Over the years, the farm continued to harvest produce for animals and their growing community.

Cultivating the love of farming
Bill’s favorite memory of the farm stems from childhood with fond stories of driving tractors, learning about livestock and cultivating a respect for machinery.

“It was a lot of fun,” Bill said. “You couldn’t ask for a better way to grow up.”

But it wasn’t until after college that he made farming his full time career. Over the years, Bill saw many changes in the industry, with perhaps the biggest one being the decline in the dairy industry. This decline resulted in Bill’s difficult decision to dramatically decrease the size of the farm from 1,200 to 40 acres.

Now surrounded by development, Bill shares that there are hardly any farms in the area, so he hopes to continue to create a space where families can experience a piece of farming life. It was this desire to share the love of farming with his community that has contributed to the continued success of Tolmachoff Farms’ agri-tainment venture.

“Some of the older people have grown up on farms, but their kids don’t know what that experience is like,” Bill noted. “A lot of them will bring the kids to the farm and share stories about when they were a kid and used to do this. It brings back their own memories.”

Bill, in conjunction with his family, has created a venue where families can connect and enjoy a piece of the farming life.

Although he shifted away from growing animal feed, Bill wanted to ensure that Tolmachoff Farms was still able to provide a fresh harvest to his local community.

Today, all vegetables are sold on site during the two main harvests—early summer and in early winter when Bill sells collards, mustard, turnips, carrots and green onions right up until Christmas.

“The customers expect the freshest of anything that they can buy,” Bill said. “What I sell today, I pick today. Everything is picked fresh every day.”

Over the years, Bill’s customers, many who’ve migrated from the Midwest, have learned the Arizona harvest schedule and now eagerly anticipate the harvest. At the end of July, the focus of the farm shifts to getting ready for the October entertainment season, beginning with planting the field corn for the maze in August and the pumpkin patch. This also includes pick-your-own fields, train rides and ice cream.

“It’s good family fun. You can go to the movies any day of the year,” Bill said.

The secret to his success is treating the customers right—a philosophy that Bill truly lives and breathes. It’s helped build a strong client base of both return customers and new through word of mouth.

“If you treat your customer right, you will have them for life,” he said.

A true family affair, Bill’s family and friends all pitch in during the busy season. In fact, Bill has been working with his wife Gracie on the farm for 30 years. His four children also pitch in on weekends and during the busy season. However, the strength of Tolmachoff Farms is the family’s passion for the farm life—a passion that has not only cultivated fresh produce, but taught the love of farming to an entire community. GT

Anne-Marie Hardie is a freelance writer/speaker from Barrie, Ontario, and part of the third generation of the family-owned garden center/wholesale business Bradford Greenhouses in Barrie/Bradford, Ontario.