In 1989, we planted four rows of sweet corn around our house so we could water it and have fresh sweet corn to eat. At that time we were a traditional Midwestern farm raising about 350 acres of field crops and milking about 50 cows each day. The Skelly family had been farming the area since the mid-1800s. Those four rows produced more corn than we could eat, so we put a sign in front of our house on Hayner Road, a rural road southwest of Janesville, and sold the corn to neighbors driving by for one dollar for a dozen ears.
There has not been a cow on the Skelly farm since 2000, and you will not find gigantic tractors working our fields today. However, with over 100 acres of fresh produce, our farm is still very alive and well.
In the mid-1990s, other vegetables were added to the farm and pumpkins followed shortly after. The first corn maze was cut in 1998 and a new building was added in 1999 moving the business out of the garage. When the cows were sold in 2000 to other area farmers, we decided to focus all of our effort on producing top quality produce and farm fun for families. Strawberry beds were added in 2002 starting the summer season earlier. By 2006, the farm and first Skelly standstore had outgrown its location next to the family home.
Original Skelly Store
Renovations were complete for the 2006 season and the former dairy barn that was built in the 1930s opened as the current location of Skelly's Farm Market. It now hosts a large sales and gift area, a huge kitchen, indoor bathrooms, offices, and a large porch while still preserving the original barn.
25 years have brought many changes to the farm, but we think they are for the best. We give families the opportunity to eat great local food, enjoy the farm atmosphere, and be a part of the Skelly's Farm Market family. It is our goal to produce top quality produce that you know will be good. From our strawberry season to our sweet corn season to our family friendly fall adventure, we want to provide the families of our area with something they cannot find anywhere else.
While we try to keep our website updated, military and veteran discounts can change at a moments notice. Always check with the business to ensure the discount is still valid, and what ID(s) are acceptable for proof of service. Always have your proof of service available when redeeming a military discount.
