Rod Farrow, who has worked for and with George Lamont for 30 years, took complete ownership of Lamont Fruit Farm last summer.
Complete ownership of Lamont Fruit Farm in Albion, New York, passed last summer from George Lamont, a sixth-generation fruit grower and well-known apple industry leader, to his long-time protégé Rod Farrow.
Farrow first came to Lamont Fruit Farm in 1980, when he came to this country from England to study fruit production. In 1986, he came back again, this time to work for Lamont. In 1999, he began buying in as a partner, a process that ended in full ownership last summer.
The men became very close. “I lived in George’s house for a year when I came over from England,” Farrow said. “We know each other very well.”
Lamont Fruit Farm operates about 490 acres of apples, 110 of them now on the super spindle design. Most of the fruit is sold fresh wholesale through Lake Ontario Fruit, in which the farm is a partner with six others. Lamont Fruit Farm is vertically integrated with nursery, fruit production, storage, and packing.
Lamont, a 1957 graduate of Cornell University, New York, became a leading voice for the New York apple industry. Now retired, he still comes to the office every day and continues to be heavily involved in the industry, Farrow said.
George and Roger Lamont,
I was going to get the cousin’s to go to your farm and surprise you and get some of your excellent fruit. I saw in Joe’s (my husband) Cornell magazine – actually he found it – an article on you both and the farm earlier this year. Seems that the magazine is a year behind. If this reaches you…I remember: the “doodlebug”, Carolyn Miller and myself picking and eating cherries in ’54, of course you both, Tom, Mary and Marjorie. Our parents met at Cornell and made close ties back then. I showed the article to Steve Miller as he was here in the spring. I just thought I would look it up on the computer before we made plans and found out that you retired a year ago.
Happy Retirement to you both!
Fondly,
Gail Jenkins Gilbert
PS Joe just informed me that this article was written in 2010 – thus it is 6 years ago. I do not know if this note will find it to you both or if you are living close by or moved far away…
Dear Rod Farrow,
Sounds like people do not come to your farm to buy fruit anymore. Do you still carry Cherries, Peaches and Apples?
Sincerely,
Gail J. Gilbert
Dear Gail,
Roger and George have both retired. Roger and I live in grandma’s house now and ROGER still owns the home farm. If you are in Albion or area, please call. We would love visiting with you and your husband.
Ingrid
PS. The fruit stand in the yard came to an end when grandma Belle passed away 1971