  
|
Current Information: updated 12/4/11
WE ARE CURRENTLY SOLD OUT OF FROZEN BLUEBERRIES.
NEW YEAR'S GREETINGS FROM HIGHLAND VALLEY FARM The arrival of winter and the holiday season usually comes with a dramatic overnight change of the landscape. This year was no exception. We have been compelled to change gears and slow down as much of our work on the farm is now buried beneath the snow and will wait for the arrival of spring. Of course, there is always a brush pile to burn, a wood pile to split and stack, or a driveway to plow, but the pace is more relaxed. We find time to linger at the table for conversation or games. There is time for reflection. We look back on the past year with gratitude for another sustaining harvest. We are thankful for the blessings of family, community, loyal customers, and the change of seasons--for the opportunities of the life we have been given. We look forward to the coming year, and the hopes that come with the promise of spring. We hope that you too have reason to be thankful, will find peace during this season, and that we may see you again in the new year.
JON TAKES THE REINS FROM DAD AS GENERAL MANAGER The farm will be in good hands as Jon has had considerable project management experience. He is an excellent financial manager and is committed to carrying on family traditions. Many of you have been witness to Jon's skills as he directed construction of our new processing and cold storage facility. He has also had primary responsibility these past two years for our wholesale accounts, and this past season directed processing and packing operations. His brother Chris continues to be responsible for production. His sister Magdalen continues to direct seasonal employees, promotion, and retail sales. Janet continues as Office Manager. Rick will have the luxury now of doing as much of "what he wants to, when he wants to"--farmers never really retire, but they are truly blessed when they have sons and daughters who want to carry on.
LAKE SUPERIOR FARM BEGINNINGS PROGRAM Another class of Lake Superior Farm Beginnings is underway. This is the fourth season the 39 hour year-long course is being offered to "entry level" farmers of NE Minnesota and NW Wisconsin. Last year's class met in Ashland to accommodate folks in the NW Wisconsin region. This year's class meets in Esko near Duluth. The curriculum, developed and licensed by the Land Stewardship Project, has been presented in 17 states across the Midwest for more than 12 years and boasts more than 400 graduates. The course places a heavy emphasis on effective farm business planning. Rick will support the effort again this year sharing the experience of HIGHLAND VALLEY FARM. To learn more about the Lake Superior Farm Beginnings course, check out the Lake Superior Sustainable Farming Association on the web.
"BAYFIELD BLUES" BRAND REGISTERED TO HVF "RIBBON CUTTING" FOR NEW PROCESSING FACILITY HIGHLAND VALLEY FARM CURRANTS AT WILD RICE RICK COMPLETES USAID PROJECTS IN EUROPE HVF ASSISTING BLACK CURRANT RESEARCH 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.
BLUEBERRY FIELDS FOREVER About Us • Our Products |
It's been in the works for a while as Rick has looked forward to "retirement"--We are pleased to announce that Jon has taken over as General Manager for our family farm business. He returned home nearly three years ago, after more than a decade of employment in Seattle. He is partnering with his siblings to continue the legacy of the farm business his parents established and that he grew up with.
It is official. On August 9, 2011, the United States Patent and Trademark Office in Washinton, DC, registered "Bayfield Blues" as the exclusive trademark of Highland Valley Farm at Bayfield, Wisconsin. We have actually been recognized in the market place as "Bayfield Blues" since 2004 when the label was first used--but even before that, sales representatives for Minnespolis & St.Paul based distributors identified blueberries from HIGHLAND VALLEY FARM as "Bayfield Blues"--we liked the identification with the place--and the name stuck. Now we are proud to have exclusive rights to the brand.
On August 20th, we inaugurated our new berry packing and cold storage building. The culmination of a three year effort, this new facility greatly enhances our capacity and capability to provide the highest quality fresh-picked and frozen berry products. Designed and built to qualify for State of Wisconsin licensing and USDA audited Good Handling Practices (GAP), our new pack-line and cold storage facility is state-of-the-art and insures the highest standards for food quality and safety.
As we continue to promote and research currants as the next berry crop for Bayfield, Jim Webster, head chef at Bayfield's acclaimed "Wild Rice" restaurant, is creating new gourmet offerings for his menu using varieties of red currants from HIGHLAND VALLEY FARM. Not only are the presentations works of art, the flavors are out of this world. For the finest dining experience in the Northland, plan to spend an evening at 
Rick spent 3 1/2 weeks during June and July as a USAID-CNFA Farmer-to-Farmer consultant to fruit farmers in the Republic of Georgia. While in Georgia he was able to assess progress from his efforts of the past nine years, and was gratified to see berry production enterprise beginning to make a real difference in the lives of participating farmers and their families.
Soon after returning from the Republic of Georgia, Rick set off for a second month long berry enterprise development project assignment to Kosovo during July and August. Berry Enterprise development work is just beginning in Kosovo. Rick provided an assessment of resources and opportunities in a feasibility study he was contracted to conduct for USAID-New Opportunities for Agriculture-Kosovo (NOA). Prospects for a revived berry industry look promising in Kosovo, and Rick expects to return in the near future to assist with implementation.
A bronze and stone monument at HIGHLAND VALLEY FARM commemorates 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