Celebrating the Legacy of Paul and Betty Keene and the Birth of the Organic Foods Movement

Paul and Betty Keene were pioneers in organic agriculture and Walnut Acres is a historic American farm that marked the beginning of organic agriculture in the United States. From 1946 until 2000, Walnut Acres grew from an integrated family farm into a thriving organic foods business. As some of America’s original organic farmers, they had a profound impact on the rise of organic farming and the eventual creation of National Organic Standards. For more than 70 years, the crops and fields at Walnut Acres have never been treated with chemical fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides. This pioneering way of farming was at first ridiculed and ultimately embraced by farmers and consumers alike.

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The Early Years

Paul and Betty Keene purchased Walnut Acres in 1946. From this 100-acre farm with its dilapidated buildings, their secondhand car, and a team of horses they begin their journey and founded America’s Original Organic Farm. Later that year, their first tiny advertisement for organic grains appeared in Organic Gardening magazine.

1947 – Clementine Paddleford writes in the New York Herald Tribune and Gourmet magazine singing the praises of their first product Apple Essence. The orders started to flood into the farm.

1949 – The original brooder house was repurposed into Walnut Acres’ first small milling operation equipped with a hand mill and later served as Paul’s office after 1965.

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Clementine Paddelford’s 1947 review of Apple Essence launched Walnut Acres as a purveyor of organic whole foods. Orders soon flooded in from across the country.

Read the Original Article Here

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1950’s

Paul became a vocal leader in the natural and organic foods industry and his work inspired many other farmers to convert their operations to organic production.

1953 – The hog house was converted to a facility for small manufacturing, product packaging, shipping, and freezer built next door.

1954 – Paul worked to form the Pennsylvania chapter of Natural Food Associates, the first organization that connected organic food producers directly with consumers.

1958 – The business outgrew the hog house leading Paul to renovate the adjacent forebay barn to house the entire business. The draft horses were replaced by a Ford 9N tractor (though Paul often mused that the horses were much better companions). The barn’s overhang was enclosed to house the first large grain mills. A small reception area for a store was created in the barn’s machinery bay and rows of shelves were installed within the old cow and horse pen area to act as both retail shelving as well as stock for the growing mail- order business while specialized large refrigerated bins were built on the upper barn floor to store grain – an innovation to keep the harvested grains free of pests without the use of chemicals.

1959 – Paul and Betty Keene created the Walnut Acres Foundation – active to this day and the roots for our leadership team to continue to develop the Keene Center at Walnut Acres. When first formed, the Foundation’s projects included the creation of the Penns Creek Community Center complete with a gymnasium, roller-skating area, community stage, gymnastics center, classrooms, and outdoor baseball fields and recreation areas. In India, the Foundation helped support Family Village Farm, a home for orphan children – providing education and healthcare opportunities for some of India’s most vulnerable children.

Use the slider on the image below to see how Walnut Acres grew and expanded

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1960’s

Walnut Acres had 20 full-time employees and seven mills that ground grain and milled flour - clean ingredients which at that time went into bakery products, pancake mixes, and cereals.

1964 – The hog house was once again converted, this time to house the ammonia compressor for a freezer built next door.

1965 – Walnut Acres adds a new wing attached to the old barn and installed a new mill, refrigerated storage, a cannery, freezer, office support center, and a newly expanded retail store – all the elements the growing business needed to accommodate the over 10,000 customers who were ordering products through the mail at that time.

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1970’s

Consumers became increasingly interested in organic foods and the business grew rapidly throughout the decade. Local and national community members became increasingly aware of the impact the Keenes were having on the community and business.

1971 – Susquehanna University awarded Paul its first Distinguished Citizen Award for his work in organic agriculture and the community.

1972 – Walnut Acres expanded again adding a new warehouse, a larger production kitchen, more refrigerated storage, and a new larger retail store and restaurant. The farm now totals 360 organic acres.

1975 – Paul battled with the FDA to change the standard of identity ingredient requirements for several products including his roasted peanut butter and 100% organic beef hot dogs. These battles validated that whole food, without additives like hydrogenated oils and nitrate preservatives were at least equivalent to (and as Paul believed superior to) their conventionally produced items.

1976 – Paul is awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from Lebanon Valley College.

1980’s

Organic foods began to move into the consumer mainstream and demand for Walnut Acres products surpasses $4 million annually. The vast majority of orders are sent directly to consumer’s homes and delivery routes are established for the company’s first wholesale and health food store sales.

1982 - Walnut Acres’ final expansion occurred when a large warehouse and loading dock facility was added to the complex. Over 200,000 black and white catalogs are mailed each year.

1986 – Annual Harvest Festivals began with a celebration of Walnut Acres 40th season. These events grew in size and attendance each year exposing visitors to organic agriculture and the beauty of nature and place.

1988 – The farmland expanded to organically cultivate over 500 acres growing as many grains and vegetables as possible to meet customer demands. Products from the farm were harvested and processed at the peak of ripeness and shipped around the globe.

1988 – Paul published Fear Not to Sow Because of the Birds; Essays on Country Living and Natural Farming from Walnut Acres. These naturalist essays, extremely popular with readers, were originally published in the catalog.

1990’s

Demand for organic foods explodes in the United States and sales are climbing across the industry by 20% annually. Walnut Acres sales surpass $10 million and the products are increasingly available in large stores including Whole Foods Market, Weis Market, Giant, and Wegmans.

1995 – Walnut Acres mails over 2 million catalogs directly to customers. Also that year, the article "Pure and Unadulterated” appeared in US News & World Report, stating that the company was selling over 700 products – in effect serving as a natural foods store to customers worldwide.

1998 – Paul was awarded the distinguished Organic Leadership Award by the Organic Trade Association, as he “furthered the goals of the organic movement, and demonstrated skill, innovation, personal commitment, leadership and vision to achieve identifiable and lasting changes to protect and promote organic agriculture and trade.”