Becoming berry farmers, learning the land
Mark says the three years of running Kinder Way Berry Farm have been a crash course — caring for 5,000 blueberry bushes that haven’t been tended to in years, selling and marketing the berries, going to farmers markets, building wholesale accounts, and lots more.
“We’re still in the beginning stages, and we’re learning how to be berry farmers. We’re still learning our management techniques, learning the behavior of the berries in the soil, and what they do and what they don’t do.”
The three Gutel children are also involved. Their 21-year-old daughter helps out running the shop while their 18-year-old son picks berries. Mark says their youngest, a nine-year-old son, is also a great picker.
In addition to learning the berry business, the Gutels are focusing on the farm’s health. They are rebuilding the soil using cover crops, reinvigorating the blueberry plants, adding high tunnels so they can grow raspberries while better managing the risk of pests, and growing native shrubs along the Mettowee’s riverbank on the farm. A small farm animal sanctuary provides manure for compost and is an added attraction for pick-your-own customers.
They’re also boosting pollinator habitat because, as Mark says, “without bees, we don’t have a crop. So, we’re definitely working hand in hand with Mother Nature.”
