Last big Queen Creek farm yields to homebuilders

Newell Barney may not be well known outside Queen Creek, but the 85-year-old farmer looms large in the tiny town at the southeastern fringe of the Valley. The great-grandfather to 70 children, whose name graces a local school and a sports complex, rises at 5 a.m to work the land as he has since 1949. But that long chapter of Barney's life will soon end, giving way to the same encroaching development that has slowly been swallowing up what remains of the small rustic community known for its farms and horse culture. The Barney family's land is the last of the major local holdings to surrender to urbanization, said Dave Salge, president of the San Tan Historical Society. There's a sense with some residents that with it, Queen Creek is losing part of its identity.

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