92-year-old Ontario farmer is melting hearts on Instagram

I recently stumbled upon Butt’s Berry and Flower Farm on Instagram, and I’m completely obsessed.

I’ve always fantasized about leaving Toronto behind and starting a little farm of my own. Scrolling through the Instagram account brings all those daydreams rushing back.

The star of the farm’s account is Ross Oldham, the 92-year-old farmer who seems to be the heart and soul of the place. Oldham, affectionately known and referred to as Pappy, is the son-in-law of the farm’s founders, Len and Emily Butt. 

He married their daughter, Marilyn, and has been part of the farm ever since. When asked what the farm means to him, Pappy said, “It means everything to me. It means I got something to get up for every day.”

Pappy’s presence and joyful demeanour have made him a beloved figure for the farm’s visitors and its online community. The farm’s social media team is well aware of this, and in a post published last year, they shared their gratitude for Pappy’s recovery after a major surgery a decade ago. 

The post read, “Our Pappy is your Pappy, and we are so glad we’ve gotten an extra 10 years with him.”

Pappy worked on his own family farm before he started at Butt’s Berry and Flower Farm when he was 18, about four years after meeting his wife. The farm remains a multi-generational operation today.

“We are a fourth-generation family farm,” Pappy explained. “Mostly, my wife, son, daughter, and daughter-in-law help out. A few of the grandchildren help in the busy season, and even one of the great-grandkids helps at the farmers’ market.”

The Butts family continues to grow as one of Pappy’s granddaughters, Amanda, who manages communications and marketing for the family farm, is preparing to soon give birth to Pappy and Marilyn’s 10th great-grandchild—which just speaks to how much of a family operation the farm truly is, with each generation contributing to its legacy.

While discussing his favourite things to do on the farm, Pappy mentioned that he enjoys doing tractor work, cultivating, making rows for planting, and hilling. 

“I drive around every day just to see what needs to be done,” he said. As for his favourite crops to grow, Pappy listed potatoes, corn, apples, and blueberries as his top picks.

Butt’s Berry and Flower Farm has been a staple of the Guelph area for over a century, starting when Len Butt planted his first gladiolus bulbs in 1922. Today, the farm grows over 200 varieties of dahlias and produces a bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables, including corn, tomatoes, and berries.

Pappy has a message for his loyal Instagram followers and customers of the farm: “If you keep coming, we’ll keep growing!” And, I truly hope Pappy keeps growing and melting the hearts of his online fans, like me, for a long time.

Even though the berry-picking season has ended, my family hopes to visit Butt’s Farm in October to pick out pumpkins for Halloween. We’ll also be stopping by their roadside stand to grab fresh produce and flowers, and, if we’re lucky, we might even get to meet Pappy in person!

Butt’s Berry and Flower Farm is located at 5838 5th Line, Rockwood, ON, about and hour and a half drive from Toronto.