What began as a small farm located on the banks of the Toussaint River in the late 1800s has grown into a multi-state operation. Elmore, located on the banks of the Portage River in Northwest Ohio used to be covered by glaciers during the ice age and was wetlands prior to the early 1800s. This contributed to a nutrient-rich topsoil, perfect for highly productive farming.
Read about the Rothert family history handed through the generations.
1868
In the late 1860s, Frederick Rothert moved from Buffalo, New York to Elmore, Ohio with his wife Marie Avers and their children Henry and Emma Rothert. They began farming acres of land on the banks of the Toussaint creek.
Pictured: Ralph, Fred, Henry, and Frederick Rothert.
1874
Henry Rothert, son of Frederick Rothert, married Elizabeth Steinkamp. The Steinkamp family settled on the stone ridge between the Portage River and Sugar Creek in 1837.
Henry and Elizabeth were Fred Rothert’s parents.
1902
Fred Rothert and Katie Croll were married. Katie was a great record keeper and wrote a biography of her father, Henry Croll.
Pictured: Fred Rothert and Katie Croll.
1938
A successful farm operation required women to assume numerous roles ranging from full partner to manual laborer and performer of the most menial tasks. Carl Rothert and Eileen Anstead were married in 1938. Eileen was a great example of a working woman in this era. She managed the family household while also working in the fields with her husband. Eileen supplemented the family income by selling eggs from a large chicken operation.
Pictured: Top, Eileen Rothert driving a tractor.
Bottom, Carl and Eileen Rothert’s wedding photo.
1940
Horse and wagon were a practical and dependable power source for agriculture at this time.
Pictured: Carl Rothert (Fred’s son) poses with his two worker mules.
The invention of the tractor was a huge milestone in the farming world. Agriculture became more innovative and efficient than ever before.
Pictured: Carl Rothert sitting on a Ferguson tractor.
1961
Paul Rothert began farming at a young age and this is a picture of his tomato crop during his high school years.
1964
Paul Rothert and Susan Tabbert were married. Together, they purchased the homestead of Ralph Rothert which is where Rothert Farm Inc. is located today in 2020.
Pictured: Top, Paul and Susan Rothert’s wedding photo.
Bottom, Rothert Farm Inc. in 1966.
1970
Hauling tomatoes was done by stacking filled hampers on a flatbed truck or trailer. The hampers were carefully clipped to keep them stable during the 20-mile trip to the Heinz tomato processing plant in Fremont, Ohio.
1982
Aerial photo of Rothert Farm Inc. taken in 1982.
1990
Carl Rothert (left) farming sugar beets in 1940. Trent Rothert (right) farming sugar beets 50 years later.
1995
The early years of harvesting cabbage looked very different from the equipment we use today.
1996
Harvesting tomatoes in the 1990s.
2003
Rothert Farm continued to grow in acres and in people.
Paul Rothert working the soil in a harvested corn field to prepare for the following spring planting season.
2012
Rothert Farm Inc. purchased an upgraded tomato harvester that cut harvest time while enabling the harvest of 60 tons of tomatoes per hour.
2014
After working out of a temporary trailer for almost two years, the new business office was completed.
2019
A new wet bin was added to the existing grain system that was built in 2010. This included computer upgrades to the dryer system and a mobile app to monitor the drying process.
2020
Aerial shot of the farm in October 2020.
