Elk Run Farm

Susan and Jim Randall of Elk Run Farm have been vendors at the Staunton Farmers’ Market from the beginning, 32 years ago. They haven’t missed a Market since 1996.

After scouring the East Coast looking for a place to call his own, Jim closed on the “30 flattest acres in Augusta County” at 23 years old. Susan arrived on the scene after Jim responded to a letter she had written and had published in County Journal magazine; he then proceeded to show up at her door. They began dating, and 5 years later Susan made the move to Fort Defiance.

Now they wake up at 1:30 every Saturday, pack 27 coolers, load up their trademark van, and come to see the customers they love. “It’s what keeps us and the Market alive.” Elk Run has had some customers since the very beginning, and in one family, five different generations have been market-goers. “Better than family, they’re friends,” Susan says.

A lot has changed at the Staunton Farmers Market, which started in 1993 with 7-8 vendors. Jim started vending on his own, selling pumpkins and potatoes from a couple baskets held by some plywood. At the end of their first season, Elk Run had made $446.

Over the years, the Randalls expanded far beyond the scale they’d imagined: bedding plants, hanging baskets, herbs, strawberries, and more. But plants are a lot of work, and they both agree that “you have to pick your battles”; that’s how you adapt. Yet, Sue insists on continuing to grow the geraniums she loves, which remind her of the second-grade teacher who kept them in her window. The Apple Blossom variety originated from a cutting of their neighbor’s plant Susan took 25 years ago, and she’s never seen them anywhere else.

They currently keep pigs (which Susan loves) and chickens (which Jim loves), and there are piglets and chicks around Elk Run Farm on a June afternoon. When asked for advice, Jim offers “always say ‘Good Morning.’” And that's what is special about our Staunton Farmers’ Market: the people who stop to say ‘Good Morning.’