Aaron and Jessica's Buggy Rides

05/17/2026

If you have ever been around Lancaster county towards the mid-summer/early fall you may notice vibrant, green, large leafed plants overtaking the fields throughout the entire county, and most of the state. Although a fair guess made by most, it is not cabbage, but it is Lancaster county Amish grown to***co. The amish in this area grow this to***co for a multitude of economic, agricultural, and cultural reasons-and each one matters. One of the biggest factors however, is that is one of the most profitable crops they can grow on small farms. Most of the Amish farms within Lancaster are relatively small, often anywhere from 35 to 70 acres, much smaller than modern commercial farms. To***co is valuable because it produces high income per acre compared to crops like corn, hay, or wheat, which are often times used more to sustain the animals through feed, and straw bedding. For example commercially-a crop like corn may produce a few hundred dollars per acre, whereas to***co can produce several thousand dollars per acre depending on the quality and market conditions. Another big factor in Amish to***co production is that it fits horse-powered farming surprisingly well. Amish generally avoid the use of tractors, so crops that can be managed with horse drawn equipment are preferred. To***co is very labor intensive in regards to planting, hoeing, topping, harvesting, hanging, and sripping which is all primarily done by hand or by horse. It is also less dependent on large mechanized equipment than commodity grain farming, as well is being ideally suited for family labor, where parents and children alike all help in one form or another. These are all large advantages. A large industrial corn farm favors machinery; to***co favors hands and time-which Amish households often have. To***co also preserves the Amish family farm model, some of those specifically being its high demand for a lot of seasonal labor-which can include raising seedlings, transplanting, hand weeding, cutting each stalk by hand, hanging it in the barns to cure, and stripping and sorting the leaves usually around the month of February. All of this gives meaningful work to the children, teenagers, and sometimes even the extended family and neighbors too! This all aligns perfectly with the Amish values of family cooperation, hard work, interdependence, and passing skills between the generations. Now you could question what they even use this to***co for or what do they do with it? To***co is one of the largest and most profitable "cash crops" meaning any crop that they sell directly for a profit. Furthermore, they receive a good financial yield for their to***co because of what it will be used for- being mainly cigar wrapper and filler product. This often requires a certain type of to***co, often centered around the structural integrity of the leaf itself. Their buyers value: thin clean leaves, careful handling in all aspects of the process, and consistent curing. Amish attention to detail can produce a premium-quality leaf, which can command better prices for their harvest. To***co as a cash crop can also help them avoid off-the-farm employment. As land gets more expensive in Lancaster county, many Amish men have shifted into construction or furniture work. To***co can help some families stay primarily on the farm rather than taking outside jobs-which many Amish prefer if possible.

05/01/2026

Within recent years, we have been starting to notice a heavy increase in Standardbred breeding among Amish farms all throughout Lancaster county, and even other parts of Pennsylvania. This is not something random. Breeding this specific breed of horse (Standardbreds) lines up closely with how their economy, transportation, and values have evolved over the past few decades. First and foremost, the Standardbred is more or less a natural fit into their way of life, and they check all of the boxes when it comes to temperament, being strong movers, and being quite efficeint in doing so. This can be directly attributed to the fact that Standardbreds were bred very specifically for Harness Racing. This gives them a unique, breed specific edge amongst other more common horse breeds. Compared to a traditional draft horse, Standardbreds are lighter, faster, and consume much less feed, making them more practical for "modern" road travel among the Amish. However for decades, there was simply no need to breed these horses becuase there was a constant supply of relatively cheap retired racing horses. There were/are still many Standardbreds that are deemed "too slow" for harness racing in their respective discipline ( trotting or pacing ) and are sold off fairly cheaply as well. This made them the lowest-cost and lowest-effort option possible. So why are we seeing such an increase of Amish Standardbred breeding across the state of Pennsylvania as a whole? The shift towards breeding their own Standardbreds is driven by a few concrete changes, the first being the decline of popularity of harness racing within certain areas. Fewer unwanted racehorses means not near as high of a supply of these type of horses as there is demand for them. Part of the reason for increased breeding is to ensure a reliable pipeline of horses to pull their buggies. Another growing factor is the economic opportunity inside Amish communities. There are many different avenues to go down in terms of what they are raising these horses to go on and become. The Amish can breed them and sell trained buggy horses to the members of their local community, but more commonly they breed and raise these horses for harness racing itself. With the rise of prices across the entire economy of the U.S. during covid, there came a rise in the buying price of horses in general. This created a massive opportunity for Amish farmers who had otherwise been struggling with the price of dairy fluctuating almost weekly, and this brought about a great deal of change among the Amish farms throughout Lancaster county and other parts of the state. With the fall of dairy and the rise of beef happening almost simultaniously, there were multiple Amish family farms who started making the transition from dairy to beef. So where does Standardbred horse breeding fall into all of this? Well, with the switch from dairy to beef, it created "free time" for some of these farmers as it does not take near as much time or effort to sustain 30-50 beef cattle as it does 90-120 dairy cattle, and with this new found space in their schedule a lot of these farmers started to look for other ways to make money aside from milking cows 2-3 times a day. That is exactly where Standardbreds fit in. With the fact that they had this new found time to diversify their income stream, and the fact that these Amish farmers have been working with these horses for generations gave them all that much more of a reason to give it a shot. This decision was anything but a mistake. There are now many families within Pennsylvania that farm beef, breed/raise Standardbreds, and focus on smaller forms of infastructure in between. This infastructure often takes the shape of garden sheds, dog runs, chicken coops, mobile office buildings, mini log cabins, custom made miniature greenhouses, and so much more. So the next time you and your family are touring our gorgeous farmland looking around at the many things, look for some of these changes.....and you just might spot them.

04/30/2026

While on your family’s vacation here in Lancaster county in the late summer months, you may notice some fields that are filled exclusively with sunflower plants. While this is not necesarily a mainstream crop that every Amish farmer grows, it does share a variety of benefits that come exclusively from sunflowers as opposed to other crops. Some of their main benefits and/or purposes are for livestock feed, oil production, crop rotation/soil health, cash crop, and maybe even a bit of roadside appeal.

~ Livestock feed - sunflowers are commonly grown to feed animals. The seeds are high in fat and protein which makes them great for chickens, dairy cows, and other farm animals as a supplemental feed. For chickens, the oils that the seed harbors contains healthy proteins and fats that help boost not only the production of the eggs, but also give the yolk of the egg a much more vibrant amber, almost orange color. For dairy cows, it adds energy to their diet for those long days while they are out in the pasture, walking around grazing, which will also help mantain a consistent, good quality drinking milk.

~ Oil production - Some of the Amish here press sunflower seeds to make cooking oil. Sunflower oil specifically is useful because it stores extremely well without refridgeration. It can also have multiple uses. You can use sunflower oil for cooking, baking, or even other forms like making certian types of soap containing sunflower oil. It also fits their preferance for producing goods at home as opposed to going to the store and buying them.

~ Crop rotation and soil health - Sunflowers are known for being efficient at helping break up pest cycles and improving the structure of the soil. Amish farmers (along with others) are extremely intentional about rotating crops like corn, soy, and small grains. Sunflowers fit into that rotation.

~ Cash crop - Although it is not extremely common, in some cases sunflowers are produced and sold by the Amish to be used for birdseed, sell at local markets or to the neighbors. They also occasionally sell sunflower seeds as a whole to small-scale oil producers.

~ Roadside appeal - While not the primary reason, sunflower fields can attract attention along rural roads. Some farms may sell cut flowers or seeds directly from roadside stands that are spread all throughout the county, and parts of the rest of the state.

While they look beautiful, for the Amish it’s mostly about practicality-feeding the animals, producing oil, and keeping the farm productive. If you are ever in the area and see a field filled specifically with sunflowers, there’s a good chance its mainly for feed or seed harvest rather than just for looks alone, although the natural and unapologetic beauty of them is highly welcomed and even somewhat of a bonus of growing sunflowers.

04/29/2026

Today we are observing the Pennsylvania Amish farming community surrounding the Lancaster county area, and more specifically, the Bird-in-hand area. Across Pennsylvania as a whole, winter wheat is generally harvested from early July through early August. However, specially throughout the Lancaster county area most farmers are cutting wheat from late June into mid-July, depending on the year and variety, weather factors can shift things a bit earlier or later on an annual basis. The reason we call this "winter wheat" is because it is most often planted from late September through mid-October. That timing lets the wheat germinate and establish a few inches of growth before the cold weather sets in. Many Amish farmers in the Lancaster county area aim to plant shortly after the corn silage or other early crops come off, and often around the end of September into early October as a sweet spot. Because Amish farmers rely heavily on observation as opposed to strict schedules, the exact timing can shift a bit depending on certain factors. These factors include the moisture content in the soil, timing of the first frost, and how early the previous crop was harvested. But if you're watching fields locally, you'll usually see planting activity pick up right after the fall harvest season gets rolling. Especially in that late September window.

04/24/2026

All ears forward from our horses Diamond and Jake! Our horses are the gears of the entire engine (no pun intended) that make these lovely rides not only possible, but personal. So whether it may be your first buggy ride ever, or just your first one for the season….be sure to give the horses a pat or two 😉

04/22/2026

Do you have a special date or event coming up? Would you like to include one of our four legged friends? Here at Aaron & Jessica’s buggy rides, we would be more than happy to cater to any special dates, birthdays, anniversaries, or any occasion near and dear to you and your family. From cupcakes to birthday banners to special gifts and flowers…..we have it all! ***additional rates apply*****

04/21/2026

04/14/2026

This is what a day off looks like as a horse 😎 no worries, be happy! ( But most important….GRAZE)

04/10/2026

The weather is warming up, the birds are chirping, and good times are brewing! Whether you’re in town for a week or an hour, stop on by Aaron and Jessica’s buggy rides to take a lovely frolic through the countryside via our furry four legged friends. Have the opportunity to stop in and visit an operational , privately owned Amish farm where you will be offered all the whoopie pies and lemonade you (and your kids) can handle. Latter is optional😁 we look forwards to having you!!!

04/10/2026

04/09/2026

It’s that time of year! Turned soil and lots of babies. Come get a glimpse into life the way it used to be, through the eyes of the people who have upheld it over the course of hundreds of years, multiple generations, and many many spring seasons sat behind horses watching the plow dig into the earth.