This Coastal Connection is sponsored by Baths by Spicer Bros.
MILLSBORO, Del. - As development continues across Sussex County, family farms are steadily disappearing. But in Millsboro, one farmer is working to preserve nearly a century of family history and continue a tradition she hopes will endure for generations.
“Our farm started back in... almost 100 years ago,” says Lou Ann Rieley, owner of Rieley Brothers Farm.
Rieley is the current owner of the farm, where she has helped raise as many as 14 of her 35 grandchildren.
Despite receiving offers to sell the property, Rieley says the family legacy tied to the land is worth more than any financial gain.
“My grandma and grandpa could have lived their life in luxury and, you know, sold their grandchildren's inheritance, but they didn't,” Rieley tells CoastTV. “They chose to live a very modest life so that their children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren could have what we have today.”
Rieley ignores the long days, hard work, and pressures that come with farming. She views it more as a privilege than a sacrifice.
One of those pressures was evident this winter, when harsh weather conditions caused one of the farm’s chicken houses to collapse.
While much of the outdoor work on the farm may wind down at times, Rieley says another important responsibility awaits indoors. Not only is she a full-time farmer, but she is also a full-time teacher and helps homeschool four of her grandchildren.
“This is my 40th year we're finishing, so I don't really know anything else,” Rieley says. “They trust me with their children for their education. That's a big deal,” Rieley says.
From lessons in history and math to biblical studies, Rieley says she hopes to pass along the values of family and hard work to the next generation.
“Hopefully our grandchildren want to keep on the farming tradition that is being lost quickly in Sussex County,” Rieley says.
As Sussex County continues to change, farming families like the Rieley’s are working to ensure the roots of Delmarva’s agricultural heritage do not disappear.
