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100-plus years - and still 'growing' strong
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| Lance Battenfeld, the fourth generation to own and operate Battenfeld Anemone Farm in Red Hook. The family has been growing flowers at the farm for over 100 years. |
By Hallie Goodman
Hudson Catskill Newspapers
RED HOOK - On Sunday afternoon, as the region once again braced for snow, the weather was balmy inside the greenhouses of F.W. Battenfeld & Son.
Lance Battenfeld, 26, is the fourth generation of Battenfeld men to have owned and operated his family's wholesale flower farm in Red Hook. The farm produces hybrid anemones, a delicate flower in the buttercup family, as well as a few of its relatives like ranunculus.
Battenfeld, who said he's been working on the farm since he was 10 years old, became official business partners with his father, Frederick Battenfeld, after graduating from college.
Though Battenfelds have been growing flowers since 1906, the farm originally raised violets - then the nation's most popular flower. At the time, the Hudson Valley, and the Rhinebeck area in particular, was the nation's violet belt. But sometime during the late 1940s, the market for violets abruptly evaporated. In response, the Battenfeld family transformed their business model and began planting anemones.
Since then, the company has grown to become the largest producer of anemones in the United States, and Battenfeld flowers have graced the White House, the sets of countless television shows, and the rooms of many fine hotels. In 1956, the family also opened an adjacent Christmas tree farm which remains a thriving business today.
The farm's location-easy travel distance to Boston, New York City and Washington D.C., makes it possible to get the flowers into the hands of wholesale flower markets quickly. According to Battenfeld, an anemone purchased directly from the farm should last for two weeks.
Over the years the farm has developed their own exclusive species of anemone. "We do our own breeding here, so nobody else has these species. You can't find our quality anywhere else out there," said Battenfeld.
Despite the recent economic freefall, Battenfeld said that the business is doing fine. He admitted that the farm has experienced some fallout from hotels and restaurants that have been forced to cut costs. "Flowers are probably one of the first things to go," he said.
Battenfeld also said that the company's energy costs are consistently high, as the many greenhouses must be kept warm at all times. The farm is heated with oil, "none of the greener systems can create the BTU's [necessary] to heat the greenhouses," he explained.
In an effort to be somewhat greener, the company had recently installed energy curtains, which act as a sort of storm window, helping to seal in the warmth. He said that they have already helped lower the cost of bills.
Battenfeld said that high shipping costs and tarriffs have actually helped his business in some ways, as they've kept his flowers more affordable to domestic buyers than those of overseas competitors.
The anemone farm is open between labor day and memorial day, and during that time a self serve cutting station is open to the public daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Christmas tree farm is open from the first Friday after Thanksgiving, and remains open until they reach their limit for that year's harvest.
F.W. Battenfeld & Son Wholesale Growers is located at 846 Route 199 in Red Hook. For more information visit www.anemones.com or call 845-758-8018.
RED HOOK - On Sunday afternoon, as the region once again braced for snow, the weather was balmy inside the greenhouses of F.W. Battenfeld & Son.
Lance Battenfeld, 26, is the fourth generation of Battenfeld men to have owned and operated his family's wholesale flower farm in Red Hook. The farm produces hybrid anemones, a delicate flower in the buttercup family, as well as a few of its relatives like ranunculus.
Battenfeld, who said he's been working on the farm since he was 10 years old, became official business partners with his father, Frederick Battenfeld, after graduating from college.
Though Battenfelds have been growing flowers since 1906, the farm originally raised violets - then the nation's most popular flower. At the time, the Hudson Valley, and the Rhinebeck area in particular, was the nation's violet belt. But sometime during the late 1940s, the market for violets abruptly evaporated. In response, the Battenfeld family transformed their business model and began planting anemones.
Since then, the company has grown to become the largest producer of anemones in the United States, and Battenfeld flowers have graced the White House, the sets of countless television shows, and the rooms of many fine hotels. In 1956, the family also opened an adjacent Christmas tree farm which remains a thriving business today.
The farm's location-easy travel distance to Boston, New York City and Washington D.C., makes it possible to get the flowers into the hands of wholesale flower markets quickly. According to Battenfeld, an anemone purchased directly from the farm should last for two weeks.
Over the years the farm has developed their own exclusive species of anemone. "We do our own breeding here, so nobody else has these species. You can't find our quality anywhere else out there," said Battenfeld.
Despite the recent economic freefall, Battenfeld said that the business is doing fine. He admitted that the farm has experienced some fallout from hotels and restaurants that have been forced to cut costs. "Flowers are probably one of the first things to go," he said.
Battenfeld also said that the company's energy costs are consistently high, as the many greenhouses must be kept warm at all times. The farm is heated with oil, "none of the greener systems can create the BTU's [necessary] to heat the greenhouses," he explained.
In an effort to be somewhat greener, the company had recently installed energy curtains, which act as a sort of storm window, helping to seal in the warmth. He said that they have already helped lower the cost of bills.
Battenfeld said that high shipping costs and tarriffs have actually helped his business in some ways, as they've kept his flowers more affordable to domestic buyers than those of overseas competitors.
The anemone farm is open between labor day and memorial day, and during that time a self serve cutting station is open to the public daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Christmas tree farm is open from the first Friday after Thanksgiving, and remains open until they reach their limit for that year's harvest.
F.W. Battenfeld & Son Wholesale Growers is located at 846 Route 199 in Red Hook. For more information visit www.anemones.com or call 845-758-8018.
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