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Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Richard Corbin – Fulton Valley Farms – Part 2

“On Dasher, on Dancer, on Prancer and Vixen! On Comet, on Cupid, on Donner and Blitzen!” Those words tell us that Santa’s reindeer are on their way. But what if we could see an actual, living reindeer? Today, in the conclusion of this special two-part holiday Kansas Profile, we’ll learn about a rural Kansas family that is incorporating reindeer into their remarkable agritourism operation.

reindeerLast week we learned about the Corbin family at Fulton Valley Farms in Butler County.  David and Betty Corbin are the fifth generation on their family farm. Through the years, they diversified the operation to include a commodities brokerage and a wedding venue.  Their son Richard is now a part of the operation.

One year they needed a venue for their son’s wedding reception. The wedding was in a small church but there was not enough room in the fellowship hall. They decided to clean out a barn and host the wedding reception themselves, right there on the family farmstead. It was so successful that another lady wanted to use the barn for her reception.

Continue reading “Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Richard Corbin – Fulton Valley Farms – Part 2”

Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Richard Corbin – Part 1

“Boot scootin’.” The term brings to mind a fun country line dance. Today we’ll meet a rural Kansas family who began with a boot scootin’ barn and grew their enterprise into a remarkable agritourism enterprise.

Fulton Valley Farms near Towanda, Kansas is a venue for social events and business meetings.
Fulton Valley Farms near Towanda, Kansas is a venue for social events and business meetings.

David Corbin is the fifth generation owner of Fulton Valley Farms in Butler County, Kansas. David and Betty’s son Richard told me about it.

Their ancestors came from Ohio and settled here in 1863. The maternal side of the family was named Fulton – related to the Robert Fulton who invented the steamboat. A Fulton married a Corbin and the farm continued to grow.

The farm is located south of Towanda, west of El Dorado, north of Augusta and east of the rural community of Benton, population 821 people. Now, that’s rural.

Continue reading “Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Richard Corbin – Part 1”