Post by Todd B on Jun 9, 2007 7:47:35 GMT -5
Article published Jun 9, 2007
‘It's in our blood'
www.monroenews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070609/NEWS01/106090032
IDA - There are some familiar signs popping up in the LaSalle-Ida area lately advertising red ripe strawberries for picking.
Is Rauch's Berry Farm back in business again?
Well, almost. The youngest of George and Norma Rauch's three children, Marilyn Whittaker, and her husband, Bill, have opened a berry farm at 6724 Todd Rd. to continue the Rauch family tradition.
The Whittakers live about 1 1/2 miles west of the Rauch farm on W. Stein Rd. in LaSalle. They have enlisted the aid of Mrs. Rauch and other experts to launch their new enterprise. Hours for the operation are from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.
It's been six years since the Rauch farm sold u-pick strawberries in the spring, purple raspberries and a few blackberries in the summer and red raspberries in the fall. When George Rauch died in August, 2001, the family ceased growing the berries. It marked the end of 23 years of growing berries by the family. The Rauchs farmed up to 24 acres of berries at one time, but had downsized to four acres by 2001, Mrs. Rauch said.
Berry farms, once plentiful in Monroe County, have all but disappeared. The Steuwe Farms, another family-owned farm run by Leonard and Pam Steuwe at 7926 Sylvania-Petersburg Rd. at Morocco Rd., opened last spring.
The Whittakers have about one-third of an acre ready for picking this weekend. The plot is on their 10 acres and located behind their home that sits back from the road.
"Our rows are a bit wider than we'd like," she said Tuesday. "When people come, we'll assign a row or two just like Dad did so it's more orderly."
Mrs. Whittaker said she and her husband wanted to start small and expand on the business later after they learn the trade. The couple had been contemplating starting a business for two years. They planted two varieties of strawberries - Honey Eye and All-Star - in April, 2006. Both varieties are great for flavor and making jams. The fields don't produce, though, until a year later.
"We're getting our feet wet again," Mrs. Whittaker said about continuing the family legacy. "It's in our blood. Bill comes from a farm family across the street that grew mostly (grain) crops. We were both raised in hard-working families. We want to continue the tradition of both families and teach our kids ... It's important that they know where their food comes from."
The Whittakers consulted with Bob Tritten, an Extension educator for Michigan State University, for advice on using fertilizers and applying herbicides to control weeds and disease, like grey mold. The Rauch farm was blessed with plenty of sandy soil, which is ideal for growing berries. The Whittaker farm has a mix of dark loams and some sand. Mrs. Whittaker said today's newer, research-tested varieties are more resistant to disease and longer bearing than the varieties her father grew.
Many folks came from miles around to pick quarts of berries at the Rauch farm. Senior citizens from both Bedford and Dundee picked berries at the farm for their annual strawberry festivals. Phillip Eighmey of Petersburg would pick hundreds of quarts each year.
"People still want to pick their own," Mrs. Whittaker said. "They bring their children or grandchildren out for a family outing."
As a five-year-old, she remembers one of her first jobs on the farm was sitting in a wagon and greeting customers as they arrived. She also hoed weeds and showed visitors where to pick.
"I was pretty much born into it," she said.
Her father grew his own wheat straw for mulch and that's how she met her husband.
"I was raking straw and Bill was baling straw," she said. "Dad used to have a real good straw chopper. We used both round and square bales."
Mrs. Rauch, 74, said it's kind of strange to be back in the berry business again.
"It brings back a lot of good memories," she said. "But now at the end of the day, I can go home and leave it."
Her husband formerly kept notes on tablets that helped him remember names of customers. He also was a mentor for his daughter.
Mrs. Whittaker, 36, worked 10 years as a travel agent before staying home to raise their two children, Hunter, 10, and Brook, 7. Both like to do chores in the berry patch and will help the couple as they get older.
"As your kids get older, you want to pass on what you learn from your parents," Mrs. Whittaker said.
She learned a few tricks from her parents, like spreading straw on the fields for mulch and to protect them from winter frost. There is no irrigation yet, but the Whittakers plan to add a watering system sometime down the road to keep the berries wet and cool. She said this week's heavy rains provided a boost to the ripening berries.
"They like water," she said. "It freshens them up and adds to the size and flavor. About one or two inches a week doesn't hurt them."
Earlier this year, the couple planted 500 red raspberry plants in a field to the north that should be ready for picking in August, 2008. That way, they will have two types of berries to offer.
Mr. Whittaker, 43, works at the berry farm in his spare time. He is employed full time as a backhoe operator for South County Water System and also assists his father, William Sr., with his farm.
Strawberries generally produce up until the Fourth of July.
Mrs. Whittaker said she doesn't know how large the business will get.
"It's a lot of hard work," she said. "So far, the response has been better than I thought."
‘It's in our blood'
www.monroenews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070609/NEWS01/106090032
IDA - There are some familiar signs popping up in the LaSalle-Ida area lately advertising red ripe strawberries for picking.
Is Rauch's Berry Farm back in business again?
Well, almost. The youngest of George and Norma Rauch's three children, Marilyn Whittaker, and her husband, Bill, have opened a berry farm at 6724 Todd Rd. to continue the Rauch family tradition.
The Whittakers live about 1 1/2 miles west of the Rauch farm on W. Stein Rd. in LaSalle. They have enlisted the aid of Mrs. Rauch and other experts to launch their new enterprise. Hours for the operation are from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.
It's been six years since the Rauch farm sold u-pick strawberries in the spring, purple raspberries and a few blackberries in the summer and red raspberries in the fall. When George Rauch died in August, 2001, the family ceased growing the berries. It marked the end of 23 years of growing berries by the family. The Rauchs farmed up to 24 acres of berries at one time, but had downsized to four acres by 2001, Mrs. Rauch said.
Berry farms, once plentiful in Monroe County, have all but disappeared. The Steuwe Farms, another family-owned farm run by Leonard and Pam Steuwe at 7926 Sylvania-Petersburg Rd. at Morocco Rd., opened last spring.
The Whittakers have about one-third of an acre ready for picking this weekend. The plot is on their 10 acres and located behind their home that sits back from the road.
"Our rows are a bit wider than we'd like," she said Tuesday. "When people come, we'll assign a row or two just like Dad did so it's more orderly."
Mrs. Whittaker said she and her husband wanted to start small and expand on the business later after they learn the trade. The couple had been contemplating starting a business for two years. They planted two varieties of strawberries - Honey Eye and All-Star - in April, 2006. Both varieties are great for flavor and making jams. The fields don't produce, though, until a year later.
"We're getting our feet wet again," Mrs. Whittaker said about continuing the family legacy. "It's in our blood. Bill comes from a farm family across the street that grew mostly (grain) crops. We were both raised in hard-working families. We want to continue the tradition of both families and teach our kids ... It's important that they know where their food comes from."
The Whittakers consulted with Bob Tritten, an Extension educator for Michigan State University, for advice on using fertilizers and applying herbicides to control weeds and disease, like grey mold. The Rauch farm was blessed with plenty of sandy soil, which is ideal for growing berries. The Whittaker farm has a mix of dark loams and some sand. Mrs. Whittaker said today's newer, research-tested varieties are more resistant to disease and longer bearing than the varieties her father grew.
Many folks came from miles around to pick quarts of berries at the Rauch farm. Senior citizens from both Bedford and Dundee picked berries at the farm for their annual strawberry festivals. Phillip Eighmey of Petersburg would pick hundreds of quarts each year.
"People still want to pick their own," Mrs. Whittaker said. "They bring their children or grandchildren out for a family outing."
As a five-year-old, she remembers one of her first jobs on the farm was sitting in a wagon and greeting customers as they arrived. She also hoed weeds and showed visitors where to pick.
"I was pretty much born into it," she said.
Her father grew his own wheat straw for mulch and that's how she met her husband.
"I was raking straw and Bill was baling straw," she said. "Dad used to have a real good straw chopper. We used both round and square bales."
Mrs. Rauch, 74, said it's kind of strange to be back in the berry business again.
"It brings back a lot of good memories," she said. "But now at the end of the day, I can go home and leave it."
Her husband formerly kept notes on tablets that helped him remember names of customers. He also was a mentor for his daughter.
Mrs. Whittaker, 36, worked 10 years as a travel agent before staying home to raise their two children, Hunter, 10, and Brook, 7. Both like to do chores in the berry patch and will help the couple as they get older.
"As your kids get older, you want to pass on what you learn from your parents," Mrs. Whittaker said.
She learned a few tricks from her parents, like spreading straw on the fields for mulch and to protect them from winter frost. There is no irrigation yet, but the Whittakers plan to add a watering system sometime down the road to keep the berries wet and cool. She said this week's heavy rains provided a boost to the ripening berries.
"They like water," she said. "It freshens them up and adds to the size and flavor. About one or two inches a week doesn't hurt them."
Earlier this year, the couple planted 500 red raspberry plants in a field to the north that should be ready for picking in August, 2008. That way, they will have two types of berries to offer.
Mr. Whittaker, 43, works at the berry farm in his spare time. He is employed full time as a backhoe operator for South County Water System and also assists his father, William Sr., with his farm.
Strawberries generally produce up until the Fourth of July.
Mrs. Whittaker said she doesn't know how large the business will get.
"It's a lot of hard work," she said. "So far, the response has been better than I thought."