McMaster Farms in Ohio: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
McMaster Farms is a third-generation wholesale and retail produce grower in Columbiana, Ohio. American Vegetable Grower, reporting on an Ohio Produce Growers and Marketers Association field day, described more than 400 acres of sweet corn and pumpkins, a hydro-cooler for sweet corn that ships as far as South Carolina, and bar-coded traceability stickers made on site.
| Location | Columbiana, Ohio |
|---|---|
| Founded | Not published in the source reviewed; third-generation family operation |
| Sectors | Sweet corn; pumpkins; green beans, tomatoes, onions, watermelon, cantaloupes |
| Scale | More than 400 acres of sweet corn and pumpkin (American Vegetable Grower field day report) |
| Why it is notable | Large wholesale and retail Ohio produce grower featured as a stop on a statewide grower tour |
| Ownership | Run by the McMaster family |
| Official website | American Vegetable Grower: field day highlights from two Ohio farms |
History of McMaster Farms
American Vegetable Grower covered the Ohio Produce Growers and Marketers Association Summer Tour and Field Day, which drew over 250 growers and marketers. McMaster Farms was one of two Ohio farms highlighted, and the report describes it as a third-generation wholesale and retail operation run by the McMaster family in Columbiana.
The source does not give a founding year, so none is claimed. Its description of a third generation, a hydro-cooling system, bagging equipment and software-based traceability suggests a farm that has kept investing as buyers and food-safety expectations have changed.
What McMaster Farms Grows and Raises
The farm's headline crops are sweet corn and pumpkins on more than 400 acres, with green beans, tomatoes, onions, watermelon and cantaloupes also listed. Selling both wholesale and retail lets the McMasters move large volumes to buyers while keeping a direct customer base.
Post-harvest handling is a strength. Sweet corn is stored in a hydro-cooler and shipped as far as South Carolina. A corn counter and bagger counts and bags every ear, and Land.DB software from Ag Connections prints bar-coded stickers on site for bags and boxes of sweet corn. Hydro-cooling removes field heat quickly to protect sweetness and shelf life, and bar codes help a grower trace a package back to its field if a buyer asks.
How McMaster Farms Makes Money
Wholesale sweet corn
The farm ships sweet corn well beyond Ohio, as far as South Carolina. Cooling, counting and bagging make the corn easier to sell to retailers who expect uniform, labeled packs.
Retail and seasonal crops
The farm sells retail as well as wholesale, and pumpkins are a major acreage commitment. Seasonal crops such as pumpkins and melons extend the selling season past sweet corn.
A mixed vegetable line
Beans, tomatoes, onions, watermelon and cantaloupes spread risk across crops and weather. Several crops also give wholesale buyers more reasons to buy from one supplier.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from McMaster Farms
Packing and traceability win customers. The equipment described at McMaster Farms, hydro-cooling, counted bagging and on-site bar codes, is aimed at what buyers want: freshness, uniform counts and records. Growers selling to retailers should ask which of those steps they can add first.
Mix wholesale and retail on purpose. Wholesale moves volume, and retail adds direct customers. Produce farms can use the Ohio Produce Marketing Agreement, mentioned in the same report as approved by the Ohio Department of Agriculture, and grower associations to keep up with food-safety and marketing rules.
Counting and bagging every single ear of corn is the sort of dedication that makes sweet corn the most closely supervised vegetable in Ohio. For farm satire about ear counts, pumpkin patches and the eternal question of whether tomatoes are fruit, farm.FM has the farm humor. We keep the ranch humor and farm jokes affectionate, because anyone who puts a bar code on corn has earned our respect.
If the name is new to you, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site, with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers on the side. One of its regular writers keeps a whole archive of stories like that.
How to Contact McMaster Farms
Website: https://www.growingproduce.com/vegetables/field-day-highlights-from-two-ohio-farms-slideshow/?amp
A McMaster Farms website was not found in the sources reviewed; this page is a trade-magazine report. No address, phone or email was verified. Confirm details with the farm before visiting.
McMaster Farms Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- American Vegetable Grower field day - Trade report with McMaster Farms acreage and packing line
- Vegetable Growers News: Ohio sweet corn - Trade coverage of Ohio sweet corn growers
- USDA NASS Census of Agriculture - Vegetable and farm statistics for Ohio
- USDA NASS Quick Stats - Look up Ohio sweet corn and pumpkin data
- USDA Farmers.gov - Federal programs, loans and food-safety resources for growers
McMaster Farms FAQ
Where is McMaster Farms?
In Columbiana, Ohio.
What does McMaster Farms grow?
Sweet corn and pumpkins on more than 400 acres, plus green beans, tomatoes, onions, watermelon and cantaloupes.
Does it sell wholesale or retail?
Both. American Vegetable Grower calls it a third-generation wholesale and retail operation.
How far does its sweet corn ship?
As far as South Carolina, according to the field day report.
McMaster Farms shows how an Ohio produce grower can compete by cooling, counting, labeling and tracing every package it sells. For more on the state's fruit and vegetable sector and the other profiled operations, read the Ohio state guide.