- Customers Delighted by Range of Commodities at Abers Acres
By Ken Thomas
New York Correspondent
Strawberries, fava beans, raspberries, blueberries, rhubarb, asparagus, apples, pumpkins and sweet corn and more attract customers to Abers Acres in western New York.
John and Sue Abers established their farm market and u-pick operation in 1984. Currently, they manage over 75 acres of prime agricultural land devoted to the production of u-pick and ready-picked seasonal fruits and vegetables.
“We have our pick-your-own strawberry fields on land adjacent to John’s parents at Grubb Hill Farm,” said Abers, referring to meadowland within eyesight of Exit 14 on Interstate 86. “We begin our season when the berries ripen in early June although this year they were a little late because of the weather. Early Glow is a real favorite for both earliness and flavor.”
Three years is the average time a field remains in strawberry production. Then, cover crops are planted for a period of time and worked into the soil. Their goal is to reduce weed seeds and disease. They no longer fumigate due to concern over affecting the many beneficial organisms found in the soil. They have had to close down production in one field after anthracnose came in on some plants they had purchased.
During the season around 40 individuals arrive at 6 a.m. for picking assignments given out by John. Others retrieve filled flats and resupply new ones to be filled. Workers are paid by the flat with their daily efforts recorded on file cards. An end-of-season bonus is paid to those who remain for the season. Several workers have returned each year since the Abers started.
Their u-pick customers arrive at 9 a.m. They avoid major problems by carefully organizing the initial picking rows.
“My best field supervisors are teachers. They just seem to know how to organize people. They can be firm and keep control without causing a big problem,” said Sue. “We use a flag system to mark rows, and we charge by the quart. It is a long day. We don’t close until 8 p.m.”
Nearby is a field that is used for very busy days as an overflow. The berries are sparser due to the age of the field and recent frost damage. The Abers’ explain that to customers before they pick there; however, most are happy for a place to pick.
“This fence helps with another problem. We have had as many as forty deer in the field eating the plants and blossoms. The top wire is hot, and seems to be discouraging them,” said Sue.
The Abers note that although there are fewer pickers today compared to 1984, parents with children still come, although they pick less. Older customers and grandparents with grandchildren can also be found in the patch on any given day.
Often with both parents working it is a problem to find the time to pick. Some people are more than willing to pay $3 for a quart of freshly picked berries compared to the $1.30 for u-pick.
Strawberries yield about 10,000 quarts per acre at the Grubb Hill Farm location. Initially, u-pick accounted for 70% of the harvest while today the number is closer to 35%. Another 30% is sold wholesale to local grocery outlets with the remaining berries going to the Abers’ farm market stand and to two regional farmers’ markets located in nearby Kennedy and Jamestown.
Early vegetable crops, peas and green beans, come next along with a unique u-pick fava beans. Although the six-inch long fava beans only support three or four days of picking, the beans fill a season gap, bring a good price and provide a service.
”Jamestown has a large Italian community. They just love their fava beans, and they really appreciate that we grow them. In fact, we have people drive all the way down from Erie, Pennsylvania and Buffalo-that’s almost three hours away. It is kind of a comical sight. The men stand at the end of the rows and the women do all the picking,” Abers said.
“They always want to dicker. We stick to our prices, but it’s like a cultural thing that they at least try to get a better deal! We all have a lot of fun.”
Raspberries, red and black, are the next item available, followed by blueberries.
The Abers had terrible blueberry yields until they started netting and yields doubled. “We had no idea how many the birds were getting. It was a good move since about that time a real health interest in blueberries kicked up the market. We were thinking we might have to plant more. But this has worked well.
“We roll back the nets from the rows we are going to pick that day. Then we encourage the customers to whoop it up-talk loud, clap your hands. They love it! Then at the end of the day we roll back the nets. Those birds are just waiting. They know the berries are still under there,” she added with a wry smile.
Several varieties of corn help lengthen the summer harvest season. They guarantee the corn to be only a couple of hours from the field. Summer fruits round out there overflowing farm market benches. They include peaches, pears, and both sweet and tart cherries.
Abers’ autumn crops include fall raspberries, apples, freshly pressed cider, squash, potatoes, and of course, pumpkins. During November, the stand is decorated for Christmas sales that include several varieties of trees and hand made wreaths.
The Abers motto is ‘whatever time of year you visit us you will find just what you are looking for!’ Their many customers would certainly agree.
