There’s a balance everyone must find between doing too much and not doing enough. Sunnycrest Farm in Londonderry, NH, is a great example of what you can achieve with that balance.

When Country Folks Grower pulled into the farm’s parking lot to interview Dan Hicks III, there were dozens of cars parked on the property, kids running around on the front lawn and families walking around the orchards and farmers market. It was amazing to see how busy the farm was at only 10:30 a.m., and to see all the smiling faces of not only the visitors but the workers as well.

Dan Hicks III owns the farm along with his wife Kelley, and the farm has been in the family for over 80 years. Dan’s grandfather started the farm in 1943. Once Dan’s father and uncle took over in the late ‘60s, Sunnycrest Farm became a commercial operation, selling products all over the world. At that time, they had around 500 acres of land across the state of New Hampshire.

In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, they started converting the farm into a U-pick business and working more with the public. In the late 1990s, Dan III and Kelley took over the farm and they now have a little more than 100 acres (with 60% to 70% being used to grow their produce).

Although the total acreage of the farm has decreased over the decades, the diversity of the operation has only gotten larger. Sunnycrest Farm offers seven U-pick fruits, flower fields, farmers markets, an ice cream shop, a bakery, vegetables and more. As Dan says, “we’re doing everything.”

In 2021, Sunnycrest Farm was voted the Best New Hampshire Farm for Apple Picking by the Hippo Press, and they live up to that standard. In fact, the U-pick apples are always the top seller of the season, and they have a lot of varieties. They use their apples to make and sell homemade apple cider, with the same recipe they have used since 1976. Their apple cider was actually the first cider to earn the New Hampshire Seal of Quality.

Although apples are the most successful fruit on the farm, Dan’s favorite is cherries because not only does he love the taste, but he didn’t grow them when he was younger like he did apples.

Dan is proud to work with other farmers in the area, and he sells their products in his farmers market. He explained that they try to sell all New Hampshire-made products. He said he likes to work with his neighboring farmers because “agriculture is a big bunch of family guys who want to make it and agriculture is not easy… all of my friends are farmers. So when one of them is in dire need, you feel it. You help whenever you can.”

One of the farmers Dan is friends with is John Hutton from Coppal House Farm in Durham, NH. Hutton is the one who convinced Dan to add U-pick sunflowers to his farm, and it’s been a huge hit so far.

Sunnycrest Farm used to buy and sell other farmers’ vegetables in their market, but many of the farms in the area have gone out of business so they’ve started to grow their own. Dan has a group of seven hardworking laborers who tend to their vegetables, such as greenhouse tomatoes and cucumbers, along with squash and pumpkins. Some of these employees have been working for Dan for over 36 years.

One special area of the farm is its new addition, Colbie’s Cones, an ice cream shop dedicated to Dan’s granddaughter who passed away in 2023. All of the ice cream is made by Dan’s friend, Wes Goss, in Massachusetts at his dairy farm, and Sunnycrest uses their own fresh fruit for toppings.

The team at Sunnycrest includes (L – R) Troy Muldoon, Daniel Hicks III, Matthew Muldoon, Madison Muldoon, Samantha Fay, Kelley Hicks and Daniel Hicks IV. The fruit from the farm is used at their ice cream stand. Photo by Kelsi Devolve

They also have some animals on the farm that are not used for production but kept to entertain the kids. Dan mentioned that his daughter brought some baby goats home and “now they are one of the most popular things on the farm!”

They have a bakery inside the farmers market where his talented baker, Veronica Roy, comes up with new pastries utilizing their fresh fruit and vegetables. They also host events such as weddings and company apple-picking outings. Sunnycrest Farm is focused on being “very community oriented,” according to Dan.

Considering how busy and popular Sunnycrest Farm is, the staff is essential to the success of the business. Dan himself does not take the credit of the farm’s success. “It’s not me; it’s everybody who makes this place work,” he said. “We have worked hard to make the [customers] feel like people coming here… they want to feel comfortable and feel not like a number but a person.”

The farm has approximately 20 employees, including Veronica in the bakery, Brittney Whiting running the U-picks and Dan’s son and daughter, Dan Hicks IV and Samantha Fay, as farm managers. Dan is very appreciative of all his workers and thinks of them as family.

“The best compliment I get is when my employees are complimented for being good, for being nice,” he said.

While working on the farm all his life, Dan has become passionate about irrigation and water conservation. He said, “Irrigation’s a huge thing… When I grew up, I never had to worry about water. We had plenty. We didn’t have to irrigate all the time.”

Three years ago, he worked with NRCS to put in a trickle-irrigation system, which now waters around 85% of his farm. Dan reflected on the drought from 2022, stating he was thankful they had the irrigation system put in by then, or else they would’ve had a harder year.

Besides irrigation, Dan is very passionate about his John Deere equipment. The farm only uses John Deere, and his favorite piece of equipment is his dad’s 1020 tractor from 1968. He was proud to mention that his children, Dan IV and Samantha, will be taking over the farm next. His goal moving forward is to make the transition as smooth as possible, as his children taking over is the most important thing in his life.

Dan is proud of everything his family and staff have accomplished, especially when he thinks back to when he was younger and his parents were excited to have five cars at the farm. Now, they always have to think of parking because they don’t want to run out.

For more information on Sunnycrest Farm, visit sunnycrestfarmnh.com.

by Kelsi Devolve