Hartong Farm continues to adapt to a growing city

By Brianna Smith

The city of Green looks much different today than it did when the Hartong family started farming there more than a century ago. What was once open fields is now home to shopping centers. Residents can stop at Target, grab coffee from one of several options on the way to work, or spend the evening at the city’s pickleball courts. The city just south of Akron continues to grow.

Those driving through Green would be surprised to find that just outside the bustling strip malls, down the road from some new houses and subdivisions, sits a working dairy farm still owned and operated by the Hartong family.

The farm, marked by a 1911 barn cornerstone, is one of the last remaining dairy farms in Summit County. Matt Hartong and his dad, Denny Hartong, milk about 130 cows and farm roughly 500 acres, though the amount of land they farm changes regularly as development continues around them.… Continue reading