Visitors arriving at Willow Spring Farm quickly discover they're looking at something far different from the typical aggregate operation.
One moment they're driving past rows of Silver Queen sweet corn, fruit orchards and a roadside farm market. A few hundred yards later they're watching wheel loaders fill waiting dump trucks, conveyors stack crushed stone and blasting crews prepare another section of Connecticut ledge for production.
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A sweet corn field in the middle of a quarry is not something you often see.
The unusual combination of farming and aggregate production isn't accidental. It is the result of more than 100 years of family stewardship, careful planning and a willingness to evolve with changing markets.
"We're still a farm," said fourth-generation owner Rick Whittle. "We're the last remaining farm in town."
Today, Willow Spring Farm encompasses approximately 365 acres in Mystic, Conn., where agriculture and aggregate production continue to operate side by side. Roughly 58 acres have been permitted for aggregate extraction, while the balance of the property continues producing sweet corn, apples, peaches and pears that are sold through the family's roadside market and local farmers markets.
That combination of businesses has become the company's identity, but it wasn't always that way.
More Than a Century of Family History
The story began in the early 1900s when Whittle's great-grandfather, Robert F. Whittle, emigrated from England and purchased what was then inexpensive farmland.
"He started this place with donkeys and carts," Whittle said. "Everything was loaded with hand shovels."
Like many family farms of the era, every dollar mattered.
The farm produced vegetables, potatoes, firewood and livestock. During the Depression, rabbits became another source of income. Every generation added something new while preserving what had already been built.
Whittle's grandfather, Frederick, recognized another opportunity beneath the fertile fields.
The property contained significant deposits of sand, gravel and ledge, prompting the family to purchase one of the area's earliest screening plants. Those early machines produced mostly natural sand and gravel products, but they represented the beginning of what would become Willow Spring's aggregate business.
As construction practices evolved, so did the company.
"The old days of making everything from natural bank-run gravel are pretty much gone," Whittle said. "Today, contractors want crushed, angular stone."
That realization transformed the business.
"We figured out that three-quarter-inch stone was worth more than a cucumber," he said with a laugh.
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A recycling spread processes construction materials into resalable aggregate product.
Farming Never Left
Despite becoming a respected aggregate producer, farming remains central to Willow Spring's identity.
The family still plants approximately 60 acres of sweet corn each year, including a carefully isolated field of Silver Queen corn located in the middle of the quarry itself.
Because Silver Queen must remain separated from other varieties to prevent cross-pollination, the family literally created a new field inside the quarry.
Years ago, as mining progressed, topsoil was carefully stripped and stockpiled before being placed over reclaimed ground, creating what today appears to be an ordinary cornfield surrounded by active aggregate production.
The reclaimed field illustrates the philosophy that guides the entire operation.
"We're always thinking ahead," Whittle said. "What we're doing today has to work for the next generation."
Eventually, portions of today's quarry will once again become productive farmland, with current reclamation plans calling for much of the site to return to agricultural use after mining is complete.
Producing Materials That Build Connecticut
Today's Willow Spring Farm supplies a broad range of aggregate materials to contractors throughout southeastern Connecticut.
The operation produces crushed stone in multiple sizes, processed aggregate, structural fill, sand, screened topsoil, reclaimed process material and recycled aggregate products.
Concrete and asphalt brought to the site are recycled into usable construction materials, reducing waste while supplying contractors with economical alternatives for roadwork and utility projects.
Whittle has even developed a carefully balanced reclaimed process blend that has met Connecticut Department of Transportation specifications for public roadway work.
"Our products have to perform," he said. "Contractors count on them."
Among Willow Spring's customers are municipalities, excavation contractors, utility companies, commercial developers and heavy highway contractors including firms such as Mizzy Construction, Manafort Brothers and Cherenzia Excavation.
Yet, Whittle believes outstanding customer service remains his company's greatest competitive advantage.
"There are only so many places around here where you can buy aggregate," he said. "The first guy to answer the phone usually gets the business."
That philosophy explains why Whittle carries his phone virtually everywhere — even while working in the fields.
"If somebody needs stone today, they don't want voicemail," he said. "They want somebody to answer."
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A new John Deere 644 loader loads up product for one of Willow Spring Farm's customers.
Partnership Built On John Deere
Parked throughout Willow Spring Farm is another symbol of consistency — John Deere equipment.
The company's relationship with John Deere dates back to the late 1970s, when the family purchased its first 644 wheel loader.
Nearly 50 years later, Willow Spring operates approximately 10 John Deere wheel loaders performing virtually every task around the operation, from feeding crushing equipment and loading customer trucks to maintaining stockpiles and supporting the farm.
Several excavators supported through W.I. Clark also work throughout the property.
Some of the machines have accumulated remarkable service lives.
"One of our John Deere loaders has around 45,000 hours on it," Whittle said. "It's still loading trucks every day."
That kind of longevity has reinforced the family's confidence in the equipment.
"We've tried other brands over the years," Whittle said. "But we've had such good luck with John Deere that we keep coming back."
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For years this Kleemann screening plant from W.I. Clark has provided reliable service to Willow Spring Farm.
Service Makes the Difference
Whittle is quick to point out, however, that equipment alone doesn't earn customer loyalty.
"The machines are excellent," he said. "But equipment is equipment. Sooner or later, everything needs parts or service."
For Willow Spring, that's where W.I. Clark has distinguished itself.
Founded in 1925 and representing John Deere Construction Equipment since 1975, W.I. Clark has spent decades supporting Connecticut contractors from locations in Wallingford, Plainfield and Danbury.
"Our relationship with W.I. Clark has been outstanding," Whittle said. "They understand that if one of our loaders goes down, we're not making stone."
Whether dispatching field technicians, locating parts or helping evaluate future equipment purchases, Whittle said the dealership consistently responds with urgency.
"If trucks are lined up waiting to load, downtime isn't an option," he said. "They know that."
Whittle reserved particular praise for W.I. Clark sales representative Rob Gotta.
A former service technician before moving into equipment sales, Gotta brings firsthand mechanical knowledge to every conversation.
"Rob understands equipment because he worked on it," Whittle said. "He knows our operation, he knows what machines fit our needs and he doesn't try to oversell us."
Instead, Gotta regularly keeps Willow Spring informed about both new equipment and quality late-model used machines that might fit the company's operation.
"He stays in touch, answers questions and follows through," Whittle said. "That's why we've developed such a good relationship."
Equally important, Whittle credits W.I. Clark's parts department and field service technicians for helping keep the fleet productive.
"They always seem to have what we need," he said. "If they don't, they get it quickly. Their technicians know our machines, and they make us a priority."
For Whittle, that level of support has made W.I. Clark an extension of his own operation.
"When you have one phone call that takes care of everything, life gets a lot easier."
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This beast of a loader, a John Deere 744L, was purchased to increase the overall efficiency of the quarry operation.
Looking Toward the Fifth Generation
As proud as Whittle is of the operation's growth, he measures success differently than production figures.
Several employees have spent more than three decades with the company, while his son now works full time in the business, becoming the fifth generation of the Whittle family to help operate the farm and quarry.
Like those before him, he divides his time wherever the work needs to be done — whether planting corn, running equipment or serving customers.
That flexibility mirrors the philosophy that has sustained Willow Spring Farm for more than a century.
More than 100 years after Robert Whittle first arrived with little more than a team of donkeys, a wagon and a dream, Willow Spring Farm continues to evolve while remaining true to its roots.
Sweet corn still grows where previous generations farmed. Modern crushing equipment transforms Connecticut ledge into materials that build roads, schools and commercial developments. And throughout the property, John Deere machines continue a partnership that has helped the family business prosper for nearly half a century.
"When you find people who take care of you, you stay with them," said Whittle.
For Willow Spring Farm, that philosophy applies equally to family, employees, customers and the trusted partners who have helped write the latest chapter in a story that began more than a century ago.
