Sep 18, 2009
A Busy Road Saves Strawberry Farm

Location, location, location.

As cliched as it might sound, it’s a big part of what’s kept the Thompson family growing strawberries in southeast Wisconsin for about seven decades. Right next to a four-lane state highway and not too far from Chicago’s northern suburbs, Thompson Strawberry Farm has managed to ride every wave that has come its way, according to owner Jeff Thompson.

“If we had been on the next road over, a county road, we probably wouldn’t have been able to survive,” he said.

In August, the farm was visited by two busloads of people from the North American Strawberry Growers Association. Jeff, 55, and his son, Scott, showed them the farm’s strawberry fields and told them how they do business.

During strawberry harvest, which starts about mid-June, dozens of vehicles drive out to those same fields, where about 20 employees show them where to park, hand out baskets and point them to the best picking spots. The rest of the year, it’s usually Jeff, his wife, Scott and one other employee doing the farm work. Scott, 26, is in the process of taking over management of the farm. He represents the fourth generation of the Thompsons to grow strawberries, according to the farm’s Web site.

The family moved to its current location in Bristol, Wis., in 1969. Jeff’s grandfather and father, Charles, had grown apples and strawberries at the previous location (about 15 miles from the current farm), but when the family moved, Charles decided to concentrate on strawberries. Planting apple trees was a long-term commitment his father didn’t want to make, Jeff said.

“I was 14 when we moved, and had no intentions of farming at the time,” he said. “My father didn’t want to put the effort in if nobody was going to continue the farm. Strawberries were a quicker way to earn income.”

The new farm started with 50 acres, all u-pick. It expanded for the next decade or so, reaching 150 acres by the early ’80s, Jeff said.

“We rode the pick-your-own wave to its peak.”

Things went downhill from there, however, just like they did for a lot of u-pick strawberry farms at the time. Lifestyles were changing in the ’80s, and fewer people were willing to drive to a farm to pick their own berries.

The farm’s strawberry acreage declined steadily and its debt mounted, until Jeff sold most of his land to developers in 1999, who built a golf course and a few houses on it. He now grows about 20 acres of strawberries and 37 acres of pumpkins on rented ground near the old farm – but they’re still in a great location, right next to the highway.

Most of the strawberries are still sold u-pick, though some are sold at the farm stand. Between the strawberries, u-pick pumpkins and an acre of u-pick raspberries, the farm manages to make a decent income, Jeff said.

Jeff and Scott won’t have to worry about the stringent EPA fumigant rules that are coming into effect in the next couple of years. They’ve managed to avoid fumigating their strawberry fields by rotating them every three or four years. Each spring, Jeff plants 6 new acres and takes 6 old acres out of production. The unused fields are covered with sod.

Jewel is the main variety planted. It’s a nice, hardy berry that can survive the rough Wisconsin winters – probably the farm’s biggest challenge (rain and heat also are challenges). The strawberry fields are covered with straw – about 18 bales per acre – in fall and winter. Planting happens in late April or early May, Jeff said.

Disease isn’t a major issue, but they spray their fields with fungicide every week for four weeks before harvest. They also spray insecticide. The nearby golf course and homeowners haven’t objected to the spraying so far, but if houses are ever built closer to the fields, it could become an issue, he said.

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