T&K Ferri Orchards in Ontario: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
T&K Ferri Orchards is an apple orchard near Clarksburg in Ontario's Georgian Bay area, run by Tom and Karen Ferri. Tom Ferri, a third-generation apple grower, received the UPL Golden Apple Award from the Ontario Apple Growers in February 2022.
| Location | Near Clarksburg, Georgian Bay area, Ontario |
|---|---|
| Founded | On the Clarksburg site since 2005; family apple-growing tradition from the 1930s (as published) |
| Sectors | Apples; pick-your-own pioneer |
| Scale | Total acreage not published; plantings of 2,500 to 2,800 trees per acre (Ontario Apple Growers) |
| Why it is notable | 2022 UPL Golden Apple Award winner; several Ontario firsts |
| Ownership | Tom and Karen Ferri; third-generation apple grower |
| Official website | Ontario Apple Growers award article on Tom Ferri |
History of T&K Ferri Orchards
Ontario Apple Growers says the Ferris have farmed at Clarksburg since 2005 and previously farmed at Huttonville, just outside Toronto. Tom Ferri is a third-generation apple grower and a University of Guelph graduate, and the family tradition dates to the 1930s.
In 2009 a tornado destroyed about 85 percent of his production. He rebuilt and helped win federal disaster relief for affected growers. On February 22, 2022 he received the UPL Golden Apple Award at the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers' Association annual meeting.
What T&K Ferri Orchards Grows and Raises
The orchard is described as the first in Ontario to plant the Mutsu apple, the first with trickle irrigation and the province's first pick-your-own operation. It earlier used a super spindle system at about 2,000 trees per acre and now plants 2,500 to 2,800 trees per acre.
High-density plantings bring trees into bearing earlier and make it easier to use automated orchard platforms, which the farm uses to reduce labour costs.
How T&K Ferri Orchards Makes Money
Wholesale through the Ontario Food Terminal
A large share of the apples is sold through the Ontario Food Terminal to higher-end independent markets in the Greater Toronto Area.
Pick-your-own heritage
The farm is credited as Ontario's first pick-your-own operation, a model that moves fruit directly from tree to customer.
Variety and efficiency
Planting new varieties and using orchard platforms to cut labour are the strategies the grower cites.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from T&K Ferri Orchards
Ferri's story shows how a grower can protect margins through density, variety choice and mechanization, rather than only by adding acres.
After the 2009 tornado he rebuilt and then worked on disaster relief for other growers, a reminder that risk management and industry advocacy matter in orchard crops.
An orchard that survived a tornado and kept planting trees is a story that farm.FM would put on a plaque. Farm satire loves apple talk, because everyone has an opinion on Honeycrisp and nobody agrees. Farm humor says a high-density block is just a very organized family reunion, and ranch humor would ask whether anything here can be herded. These farm jokes come with respect for a grower who is always looking ahead to the next variety.
Part newsroom, part radio dial, farm.FM bills itself as America's first satirical farm site and plays Tractor Tunes, its country music for farmers. Browse a farm.FM writer's back catalog to see the style.
How to Contact T&K Ferri Orchards
No official farm website or direct business contact details were found in the sources used for this page, so the link above is the best verified public page about the operation, checked November 2026. Confirm any enquiry directly with the operation.
T&K Ferri Orchards Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Ontario Apple Growers: grower honoured - Award article on Tom Ferri.
- Ontario Apple Growers - Provincial apple producer organization.
- Ontario Apple Growers: growing regions - Where Ontario apples are grown.
- Statistics Canada: Canadian Agriculture at a Glance - Official Census of Agriculture figures on Canadian farms, including Ontario sectors.
- Foodland Ontario - Provincial program promoting Ontario-grown food and farm stories.
T&K Ferri Orchards FAQ
Where is T&K Ferri Orchards?
Near Clarksburg in Ontario's Georgian Bay area.
Who runs T&K Ferri Orchards?
Tom and Karen Ferri; Tom is a third-generation apple grower.
What award did Tom Ferri receive?
The UPL Golden Apple Award, presented February 22, 2022.
Where are the apples sold?
A large share goes through the Ontario Food Terminal to higher-end independent markets in the Greater Toronto Area.
T&K Ferri Orchards shows how density, variety choice and resilience can sustain an apple business through a disaster. For the programs and markets that matter to Ontario tree fruit growers, see the Ontario farms guide and the other profiles below.