Lively Orchards

A second-generation farmer, Martin Lively runs Lively Orchards in Flat Rock, NC. After starting the farm with row crops, Marvin's father switched to apples when he could no longer handle the labor of planting, stooping, cutting, and packing. Marvin purchased his own piece of property and started planting trees in the 1960s. He now owns 50 acres of apple trees with close to a dozen varieties. Martin works with the NCSU Mountain Research Center to use safer and fewer pesticides and to introduce non-chemical pest reduction methods into his production.

Photo credit: Weaver Street Market