Now being run by a third-generation farmer, Whitty Farms is more than 10 times the size of the original 10-acre plot of land. Farming technology has changed, too -- though invisible to the eye -- as the farm is underlaid with rows upon rows of irrigation pipes.

However, as the farming family prepared to mark 100 years in Niagara with a celebration weekend, they were reminded about what hasn't changed. No matter how high-tech and diversified it has become, Whitty Farms is still in the agriculture business and is thus at the mercy of the weather.

Karen Whitty said plans to hold an open house and barbecue Aug. 16 were swiftly put on hold as she and her husband, Doug, had to deal with the effects of an unusually wet summer, along with three major hail storms last month. Hail does a number on the thin skins of peaches, lowering yields and making filling baskets a much more lengthy operation.

"Because of the weather and the storms we've had, we decided to deal with that first," Whitty said, adding they still have every intention of inviting customers and suppliers to a celebratory barbecue sometime in the middle of September.

"I don't want to let this year go by without recognizing it," she said.

The family business has changed with the times, with some changes coming rather quick. Whitty said it still surprises her to imagine that her father-in-law, Joseph Whitty, just one generation ago, worked the fields using a horse-drawn plow.

One of the most significant changes occurred about 15 years ago, when the farm moved into the retail business and away from wholesale shipping. Whitty said they had in their favour a large enough land base to grow a variety of tender fruits and berries, a good location along the heavily-travelled Fourth Avenue and, perhaps most important, the willingness to become an operation that deals directly with consumers.

A retailer must be willing to constantly evolve with consumer tastes and trends. For Whitty Farms, this has meant moving away from pick your own, focusing on their open market. As well, Whitty said they've branched out into flowers, as the arrangements she created to beautify the market proved to be popular with the visitors who wanted to take them home.

While most of their produce and value-added products such as baked goods and jams are sold on premises, Whitty Farms also has a presence at the Brock farmers market, as well as one held Tuesdays at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto.

Whitty said the farm is well-placed to benefit from the burgeoning local food movement.

"It's a decision people are making," she said, saying they have many new customers this year.

"They're interested and they want to be educated," she said. "An educated customer becomes a loyal customer."