by Evening Sun Staff Writer Alan Stevens

OXFORD – Chapman's Orchard is a farm located by the countryside of Oxford, where various apple types are grown and maintained. The orchard has recently began to sell already picked apples and also lets people pick their own throughout the daylight hours. The season for apple picking runs until the end of October.

The orchard is owned by Jim Crowell, a former worker at IBM. Crowell has always had a passion for apples and the New York countryside.

Crowell began working at IBM during 1978. Crowell worked in Endicott and finished his career in Boulder, Colorado, after getting transferred to the state.

“I started off as an engineer and through the years, I progressed up into the management chain and I ended up being the director of software and electrical engineering.”

He managed printing presses created for printing high quality documents. Companies such as AT&T would buy the presses to print bills and invoices.

During 2013, before his retirement, Crowell bought the property near Oxford and began planting the apple orchards. He named it Chapman’s Orchard after his wife’s maiden name. Her family also shared the surname of John Chapman, the historical figure commonly referred to as Johnny Appleseed.

Crowell explained the farm's history.

“The house here was built in 1850. I don't know when the farm was built, but it's been a cattle farm, a milk farm, they had crops for years, corn, primarily for the cattle. The interesting thing is, many of the borders are surrounded by these high stone walls and that was how they kept the cattle in throughout the seasons.”

After retiring from IBM in 2016, Crowell began focusing on growing and maintaining the orchards. He purposely chose to grow short orchards to avoid having customers climb up ladders. The orchards also have signs designating which apple type is grown there.

Crowell explained why he chose to offer “U-pick” services to people.

“I like U-pick because it's a family adventure that I can remember as a child. So it's a good opportunity for families to come out and enjoy being out in the country a little bit and picking apples.”

Chapman's Orchard also sells its apples at Oxford's farmer's market every Saturday. “I have a young person who takes care of that for me, and that person gets experience in the marketplace and with customers.”

Crowell discussed when the apples began to ripen.

“The first apple we have are Zestars, and they ripen around August 15, so that's early. And then we have some that won't ripen until the latter part of October, so it's a long season.”

“The most popular apples are Gala, Macintosh, and Honeycrisp.”

Crowell stated that livestock farmers also buy apples to feed their animals. The ones that are bought are usually beaten up apples that people don't buy when picking them.

“I'll come through and I'll pick three crates; one for people, one for cider and one for livestock. The livestock ones, I don't command much price, but I gotta get rid of them. So that way, they don't go to waste.”

The largest challenge for Chapman's Orchard is keeping rodents out of the farm. Animals such as rabbits try to eat the bark off of the orchards, as they prefer surviving in fields rather than forests. To prevent rodents from coming in, Crowell fenced off the orchards.

Patty Berry, a worker for Valley Ridge Center for Intensive Treatment, stated why she chose to visit Chapman's Orchard.

“I run a program where we learn how to cook and budget, so this offers a great opportunity for my guys, because we get to come out, do the picking, and they get to learn how to cook.”

Even while working at IBM in Colorado, Crowell always wanted to reside in New York.

“I've always loved New York. I wanted to have land here and do something with it, so that's why we bought this farm.”