History

Jon's Story

Not only does Branstrator Farm produce a diverse blend of fruits and vegetables, but it is accompanied by a unique farmer with quite a story and a rich family history.

Jon can be described as a self-starter and self-educator with an admirable work ethic. While helping on the farm as a child, Jon’s father always told him “Get with it and get it done,” thus promoting his work ethic that when there was work to do, you put your head down and worked until the job was done. And that is exactly what Jon did. He had perfect attendance at school until he was fourteen when his father fell sick with pneumonia and Jon became responsible for planting the 200 + acres of farmland by himself.

Jon’s independence, worldly perspective, and open-mindedness is partly due to his passion for electronics, specifically short wave radio broadcasts. He enjoyed listening to broadcasts from different parts of the world, that included thought provoking discussions, and presented differing opinions and viewpoints. Maps and globes surrounded Jon as he grew up and he took it upon himself to learn as much about geography as possible. An important role model in his life was the explorer, ecologist, and scientist Jacques Cousteau whom inspired him to become quite the naturalist, earning his advanced open water scuba certification in his early twenties.

In the late 80's Jon headed south for Central America. For approximately ten years, he spent his winters in Costa Rica and his summers in Ohio. While living in Costa Rica, Jon worked in agriculture, primarily for seed producers. He was exposed to harsh working conditions with unpredictable tropical weather, insects, land degradation, and civil war. He was fortunate enough to visit Mexico, Belize, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Panama during his time in Central America. When he returned to Ohio, he worked on building ropes courses and completing other construction projects. After splitting his time between Costa Rica and Ohio, he lived and worked in several different places within the U.S. While living in Claire, Michigan, he built ropes courses and oversaw an equestrian program for a local YMCA. Jon then decided to attend college in Prescott, Arizona and worked refurbishing old houses and in road construction.

Jon’s traveling and agricultural experiences played a key role in 1995 when he returned home to his family’s farmland. The land degradation that he was exposed in Central America inspired him to become more environmentally conscious. Jon transitioned the farm from a grain monoculture operation to that of a mixed fruit and vegetable farm and decided to use methods such as crop rotation that help maintain a healthy ecosystem.

Clinton County is comprised of an eclectic group of individuals with interesting experiences and histories that should be shared. Jon
Branstrator and his rich family history are an essential part of the community especially when considering that his farm has been established in the county for almost 200 years. Jon is an asset to our community, with his world perspective and always-positive attitude.

Farm History

Shortly after the end of the Revolutionary War, George Washington allotted Stephen Mason 1,000 acres of land from the Virginia Military District for his dedicated service. In 1823, Andrew Branstrator and his wife, Francis Wilkerson, purchased an estimated 400 acres of the Mason property near what is now the Clinton-Massie School. At this time, much of the land was extremely saturated and not suitable for crop production due to glacial movement across the land during the Pleistocene era. The least elevated land on the farm was used for pasture, while the drier land was used to grow crops such as hay, which was stored in the barn that still stands today. Andrew, Francis and several of their children and grandchildren are buried on the grounds of Branstrator Farm.

The farm is now owned and operated by Jon Branstrator, fifth generation descendant of Andrew and Francis. Jon's father returned to Branstrator Farm after serving in World War II and converted the operation from livestock to corn production. He obtained the equipment to dry and store corn and managed a very successful operation for many years.