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Current Information
SYRUP SEASON JUST AROUND THE CORNER Many of you may not know that our maple syrup enterprise is really a partnership--perhaps better desribed as a "fellowship"--of three good friends. Long time buddies and frequent visitors to the farm, Bill Beyer and Jake Geisler, were instrumental in helping Rick to plan, capitalize, and implement the project. Annually the "fellowship" gathers to share the labor and the joy of syruping. 2010 BERRY SEASON LOOKS PROMISING The stage is set for for an excellent berry crop in 2010. The light fruit-load and early-ending harvest of the previous year allowed our plants to divert their energy to growth and bud development for the coming season. Abundant fall rain and a late gentle entry into winter bode well. As yet, we have not observed any winter injury to our plantings. True--Mother Nature can be fickle, and August is a long way off--but conditions we can presently see and measure, affecting the coming crop, couldn't look better. Tuesday - Saturday, 8:30AM until 4:00PM; Sunday, noon until 4:00PM; Closed Sunday AM and closed all day Monday. We hope you will plan "berry picking" into your upcoming summer vacation. Its a great way to spend a day with friends and family! To the many who visited the farm during the 2009 berry season, we say THANK YOU! We hope to see you back again in 2010.
EXTENDING THE RASPBERRY SEASON November 25, 2008 A three year trial of new early fruiting "fall bearing" red raspberries was initiated this past year at HVF. We are seeking varieties that could make high quality raspberries available late in the summer season when traditional "summer bearing" raspberries begin to fade. Four new varieties were planted and will be evaluated--all are from European breeding programs. The trial planting is expected to bear heavily for the first time during the 2010 season. If you visit the farm in August, be sure to ask about the project. We would like you to sample the fruits and offer your observations and opinions. If one or more of the new varieties is suitable, we will consider planting a block for public picking.
HONEY HARVEST November 25, 2009 We had another good honey crop this year. The nectar flow from the basswood trees was especially heavy, and the late season provided many warm dry "flying days" for our bees. Due to the heavy basswood flow, this year's crop has a color and a flavor that differs from our usual amber product. Several of you have commented to us about it. It has a very pale color and an almost "minty" flavor that makes it especially good as a sweetener for tea or hot cereal. New crop "Orchard Sweet" honey is now lining the shelves in our on-farm sales shop which is open daily for our drive-in customers.
RICK PRESENTS AT SUPERIOR GROWN FOOD SUMMIT November 25, 2009 Rick presented "Family Farms and Locally Adapted Food Systems" as part of the SUPERIOR GROWN FOOD SUMMIT conference held recently at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. The conference brought together farmers, planners, students, and local food advocates to envision a regional food system for Northeast Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin--the Western Lake Superior region. Rick's presentation made the case for the "family farm" as the most viable and sustainable production model to support local food systems. Distributors, food buyers, restaurants, and consumers were encouraged to support regional food producers. Students and beginning farmers were encouraged to embrace farming as a vocation and to develop sound business plans implementing good agricultural practices for economic viability and sustainability.
HVF HOSTS WBGA SUMMER FIELD DAY August 25, 2009 An estimated 80 people recently attended the Wisconsin Berry Growers Association's Summer Field Day at HIGHLAND VALLEY FARM. We were honored and pleased to be selected to host the annual event as it was the first time the group has sited Field Day in the "far north". The participants enjoyed a day of perfect summer weather enabling all of the educational sessions and the lunch to take place outdoors on the grounds. We heard many positive responses from participants. It was a wonderful day of fellowship and grower interaction. Wisconsin berry growers interested in learning more about the WBGA and its sponsored opportunies and activities can visit the WBGA web site
HVF ASSISTING BLACK CURRANT RESEARCH July 30, 2009 Although a popular fruit crop in Europe, currants are not widely grown in the USA. Many states once banned the production of black currants because they sometimes hosted a disease deadly to White Pine forests. In recent decades, however, new varieties of currants have been introduced that are immune to the disease. HVF was recently licenced by the Scottish Crop Research Institute (SCRI) of Dundee, Scotland, Europe's leading breeder of currants, to trial some of these new varieties for performance in North America. The health benefits for consuming currants rival blueberries. "Red currants" (they range in color from white to purple) are suitable for eating fresh. Black currants are most usually processed as juice. The plants are extremely winter hardy, prefer heavy soils, are drought tolerant, and not attractive to wildlife--in other words, designer made for northern Wisconsin! Our ability to pick this crop with a machine creates even greater opportunities.
RICK RETURNS FROM SECOND CONSULTANCY TO SERBIA June 12, 2009 Rick has recently returned from a second USAID assignment in Serbia. Last year he was asked to help evaluate the Serbian raspberry industry which produces 65% of raspberries for process in Europe. Hand harvested raspberries for process utilization are being displaced by machine harvested fruit. Rick provided training for small producers seeking to transition to fresh market raspberry production. This spring, Rick was asked to return to assist growers seeking to establish blueberries as a crop alternative to raspberries. He helped growers prepare for their first sizable harvest by providing trainings regarding proper blueberry harvest and post harvest handling. The USAID Sebian Agribusiness Project has a five year mission to improve the Serbian agricultural economy. Rick hopes to be able to return again in the near future.
BLUEBERRY FIELDS FOREVER About Us • Our Products |
The production year at Highland Valley Farm begins with the maple syrup season. We usually can begin tapping our trees on or about March 15--so spring is just around the corner! The syrup flow continues until the middle of April most years.
If you have never had an opportunity to see how maple syrup is made, we welcome you to stop out. The coffee pot is always on at the sugar house. Please call ahead to let us know you will be coming, and be advised that snow shoes are required for the hike out to the bush. Our "Orchard Sweet" honey continues to be available for purchase at our on-farm outlet store. Before you know it we will have Maple Syrup available again as well! For other Bayfield winter events and attractions contact the 
Raspberries are usually ready for picking by mid July and continue into August. Blueberry picking most years begins the last week of July and often lasts through Labor Day. Exact start dates will be announced as we are nearer the picking season. Our schedule for the fields to be open in season will be the same as past years:
A bronze and stone monument was placed at HIGHLAND VALLEY FARM to commemorate protection of the farm by the Bayfield Township Farmland Preservation Program. The program protects area fruit farms and orchards from sub-division and non-farm development by purchasing conservation easements from present farm owners, a strategy sometimes referred to as "purchase of development rights," or PDR. Unlike zoning and many other landuse protection tools, PDR provides permanent protection. HIGHLAND VALLEY FARM was the first farm selected for protection at Bayfield. Contact the