Here is a nice story published in the Rice Lake Chronotype about one of the folks you can find selling at the Farmers Market at our Rice Lake Location on Wednesdays: GROWER OVERCOMES SETBACKS... by Ruth Erickson Chronotype staff Butterfields Backyard Garden of New Auburn has made a comeback both from weather and health setbacks with 7 acres of produce up and coming and sold at farmers markets in Rice Lake and Chetek. Weather has a way of wiping out a crop and hopes for a profitable year. That happened again this spring at Roger and Deb Butterfields place south of Chetek, with them losing nearly one-third of their crop to flooded conditions. This spring I had all my produce in and up in the ground, explained Butterfield between customers at the local farmers market on a Saturday morning. I had 3,000 onion sets in and the rains came and we ended up with 3 feet of water in the garden for 4 weeks. We spent weeks pumping with jet pumps and hundreds of dollars in gas. With time of the essence, the Butterfields replanted and are back in business but a little behind those who did not have as much rain to deal with. Were just going to be 3-4 weeks behind because we had to replant, Butterfield said. The longtime gardener hopes her customers will be patient and it will be worth the wait. However, there will be no herbs this year. We have all total 9 acres open for tillage, she said. We have 4 acres field corn, 5 acres produce. Two acres were flooded out this year so we will have only 3 acres of produce for sale this year. She sets out tomatoes and pepper plants because they need conditions just right to grow well from seed. Her other produce is planted from seed-beans, peas, lettuce, carrots, beets, Chinese cabbage, cantaloupe, watermelons, cucumbers, okra, pumpkins, gourds and a variety of squash. She planted four kinds of summer squash-zucchini, spaghetti, patty pan and scallop; and five kinds of winter squash-butternut, buttercup, acorn, amber cup, delecata and festival. For fun and decoration, she plants Indian corn, pampas grass and bittersweet, a decorative vine that is used in crafts and floral items. Although not a big seller, Butterfield seeks to please her customers and puts in 150 plants of okra for the half dozen customers from the South who request it each year. Her three biggest sellers are tomatoes, watermelon and sweet corn. She plants both seedless and traditional watermelons, noting seedless sells best for those with young children while older customers prefer the traditional watermelons with seeds, which are sweeter. The Butterfields have also started an orchard that they hope will be producing blueberries, apples and plums in a few years. Perennial prelude To get the most out of the growing season, Butterfield sells 20-30 assorted perennials as a prelude to produce. At farmers markets during June and July, Butterfield sells a dozen varieties of day lilies, Asiatic lilies and even more varieties of hostas. Its grown in my garden so I know it is hardy, she said. The grower added, When the produce arrive, the perennials rest. When fall gets here, they come out for one last fling before freeze-up. Butterfield likes to meet her customers. They can call ahead and come to the farm or we sell at the Rice Lake market every Saturday up until October, she said. She likes the farmers markets new location in Rice Lake. The move was a great thing, the vendor said. Were going to have more exposure, more room, easier access and more new vendors. Im thankful that Gordy extended his invitation. Its good for us; good for him. In the spring and fall, the Butterfields protect their plants with a net strewn over a rounded irrigation pipe that is fitted over the top of a tandem trailer. In the summer they use a cargo trailer to haul their produce. We have hopes of having enough produce to sell in Chetek in August at the Chetek Express on Dallas Street across from Norms Restaurant, Butterfield said. If we dont have a full line of produce like other years, we will take orders by phone and try to deliver in town. Hardy stock Butterfield is the daughter of Jeanette Hurtis and the late Art Hurtis, who grew and sold vegetables in Chetek and Rice Lake for 25 years. Butterfield comes from hardy stock. My dad died in July 1998, she said. In his peak years, he owned 120 acres and farmed 10-20 acres for produce and sold on the street in Chetek for over 20 years. My mother is going to be 80 this fall, and she is still out in her garden and wishing she could be selling again, she said. My children worked for Grandpa from the time they were 7 and 9, she said. Now my granddaughter helps me. Its kind of a tradition. Despite being born into the gardening business, for many years Butterfield had a garden just for her own use and pleasure and worked out. I worked for 28 years at a factory and then Cray Research in Rice Lake, she said. Toward the end, I was flying to Arizona with parts. I got tired of flying. So 15 years ago she made the decision to make gardening and crafting her full-time job and started a greenhouse/craft shop. For 7 years, she grew and sold perennials and annuals and made crafts while her husband did a custom grain drying for area farmers. Then during the summer of 2008, she started getting massive headaches that painkillers did not relieve. One day in early fall they loaded the trailer and were headed to Barron for a farmers market when the pain became intolerable. Her husband drove her to the hospital emergency department and from Barron, Butterfield was helicoptered to Rochester, Minn. There she found out she had a tumor the size of a grapefruit that had to be removed immediately. She came through the surgery, but having no insurance, the Butterfields ended up having to sell not only the greenhouse and crafts but the land as well. The medical emergency happened in the fall, so her mother and brothers finished their produce sales for the year and Butterfield had the 6 months of winter to recuperate. Fortunately, as an inheritance, her mother had given her a chunk of land, which was once a part of their original family farm. So the Butterfields moved their trailer house just down the road from her mother and started from scratch. In 2009 we started over again with just perennials and produce, said Butterfield, who in 5 years time has made an amazing comeback, both in health and the produce yields. Healthwise, her strength has returned, despite a setback with her gall bladder. Productionwise, she now sells vegetables from A to Z-asparagus to zucchini. She said tomatoes and watermelons are sought after the most, while people purchase her perennials for all kinds of landscaping improvement projects. Faithful customers Butterfields friends say her strong roots have seen her through difficult seasons of life. Jeannine Morajda of Chetek, who had kept in touch with Butterfield since working with her at Cray Research, said both the gardener and her plants are top-notch. Shes a strong woman, Morajda said. Gardening is hard work. She comes by it from her family. They are hard-working people. Morajda added, Their flowers are excellent and their produce is excellent. They have quality products always. She feels bad when weather hampers their efforts. I know that the garden is their lifeline, their living Morajda said. Its a real tragedy that it keeps flooding out on them. Neighbor Lonnie Perry of New Auburn described Butterfields produce as top of the line. She said, Everything is great, and you couldnt find a harder worker anywhere. Butterfield agreed that some growing seasons are more challenging than others, but working the land is still a rewarding occupation. She said, Roger and I have had some serious health issues the past few years, but we are not ready to quit yet. Some days, yes, it would be easier to sell out and sit on the porch. Others days they love the life of produce growers. Over the years we have met so many great people who have become our regular customers and some close friends, she said. It would be and will be very hard to not see them every year. We have customers from Alaska to Texas and many of them calling and placing orders in May already. So its really our customers and friends who keep us going and giving us a reason to work in the dirt. Butterfield added, Our biggest reward is that we are still able to get up every morning and see the sun shine or the clouds rain, although this year we have seen more than enough rain. We have a lot of great friends and family who have helped us out and we are grateful for that, she said. We met a man at the market last year; his name is Peter Breezee. He and his daughters Kate and Jessie started helping us last year and they are great. While they are up to the challenge, gardening is not for wimps. Growing produce is a tough job, she remarked. Most days start at 5 a.m. and end at dark. Some days its hot. Some days its cold. Sometimes it rains, and sometimes it doesnt. There are insects that bite, some that just aggravate, and some that eat and destroy your crops, she said. The wind blows when you dont want it to, and when its 90º and humid, it doesnt. Theres lots of bending and lifting, lots of picking, sorting, washing and boxing, but on the bright side, you are your own boss, she said. You pick your hours, and if you work hard, you are rewarded. Last year we were selling 2,000 pounds of produce a week at market and orders too. Market supporters should think about that next time they bite into a delicious melon, cucumber or tomato. Reaping ripe vegetables fresh off the vine takes toil and sweat. Yet they would not have it any other way. After all, they have the long winter season in which to recuperate before the cycle of growing and harvesting begins again. Farming is a risk, she said. You cant control the weather. If you love working in the dirt and being in the sun, its the best of life. Call the Butterfields for large or special orders or more information at 715-642-3840 or 715-237-2846
Posted on: Tue, 05 Aug 2014 15:49:27 +0000
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