Moulton’s Vineyard and Orchard: a gem in Rush City
Published September 26, 2016 at 8:00 am in The Post Review
In 2008, Brad and Betty Moulton were looking to diversify. Though they did not farm at the time, Brad’s family opened and operated much farmland in the Rush City area, and when a plot of land came up for sale across from Brad’s brother’s farm they jumped at the chance to begin their agric
ultural venture. They didn’t have enough money to buy 80 acres to do soybeans and corn, so they were looking for other options. But it wasn’t easy to convert their land to a vineyard. They were “loggers” for the first two years. There was an old stand of trees and old fencing that needed to be removed before they could begin planting grapes.
“It is a lot of work,” Betty said. But she continued the two of them love, “learning about the industry.” Through classes at the University of Minnesota and the Apple Growers Association, they have steadily grown their business and store of knowledge. In 2011, they added apples. All of the apples are purchased through a tree broker in Michigan. Many of them are U of M varieties. On the weekend that Post Review visited, Sweet Tangos were in season. Honeycrisp apples will be available the weekend of Sept. 23. New to the farm this year is a “1955 apple,” from the University of Minnesota. It is so new that the University hasn’t had time to come up with a flashier name. But the 1955 apple is a cold- hardy Honeycrisp. Also that weekend, the Moultons harvest 5,000 pounds of grapes for sale to area wineries.
“We are getting a lot better grapes than we thought we would,” Brad said. He continued that people said there was no way he and Betty would be able to raise grapes, but now they are averaging 5,000 pounds and acre.
“It is really cool to see the grapes in the fall,” Brad said.
