Blueberry 2012 News

Well folks... here's the way we see our 2012 Blueberry Season.

It looks as if we've lost a good percentage of berries with our April Frost/Freeze... maybe even up to 75 %! It appears that our hopes for a full blown U-Pick seem doubtful.

The bushes have not fruited evenly and the ripening stage appears to be thwarted. Ripening was definitely slowed down due to the previous weeks cooler temperatures. The coming weeks forecast for warmer weather will help.

As we have berries of quantity ripen we will announce a U-Pick via our website, hopefully with a 1-2 day notice. If you would like to receive an email notification, please email us at blueberriesrus@bellsouth.net ,put MAIL LIST in the subject line.

Wow!
What a difference a month makes... especially when it comes to weather.
As most of you know, we haven't been farmers all of our lives- Alan and I.
Mostly, we've lived in cities where other people (farmers) worry about their crops and figure it all out (how to feed everybody).
Now, here we are, our eighth season on the farm. And you know what? Every season has been different, somehow. This season is no different.
As you may have read previously (3/25) we were well prepared for a very early blueberry season. 
Well, seems like the table is again turned... we find ourselves unable to predict our season.
Locally, on April 10-12 we had some VERY cold frosts over night... temps as low as 24 at the house, making for 26 or so in the berry field. Our berries were in bloom, in berry, in the midst of pollination. YUCK! What did that leave us with? Well here's the problem. We still have blooms where there should be none- did the pistil freeze? We have bushes whose blooms must have frozen and fallen- they have no berries. We have bushes that were in 'baby berry'- most of these are not progressing/growing... they are just kinda hanging out. Some of our later in the season berry bushes... well they may be OK, but when is later this year? June or July?
Add to that the removal of a good number of bushes to a 'root rot' issue. Our field is markedly smaller than in years past. The newer bushes that were planted a few years ago- look good but are only marginally producing right now.


Suffice to say, WE JUST DON'T KNOW! Optimistically, we think that we'll have berries, of a smaller quantity than usual... You will just have to stay tuned!


Normally, I would send you on over to Bryant's Blueberries in New Salisbury IN... he's in the same shape though! 


Keep checking in with us.. I'll try to post updates as we can be sure of them.

The Nature of Weather

So,... Alan was out in the bluberries with Moses yesterday... cutting grass for the first time this season.. great day for it too by the way! The buds that were showing at my last writing are now BLOOMS! According to our research, blooms now will make for an early berry season- possibly as much as a month early! We could be looking at a mid to late May U-Pick.

Now, we're still watching the weather- remember 2007? We sure do! This is farming and nature... anything can happen!

Lastly for today.. Due to several major computer malfunctions and deaths, we no longer have a solid email list of our previous customers. If you wish to be kept informed of all the U-Pick happenings please subscribe to our blog.

Happy Early Spring? or is it Early Summer?!!

I heard an UGLY rumor this morning at the car care center in LaGrange.... just UGLY!
A friend happened to be in the same place as I this morning, both having our cars worked on... when she said, "I heard that you weren't 'doing a U-Pick' anymore, no more blueberries?!"  OH Me OH My- gotta stop this right away! ;-)


Thanks to an early early spring like weather, our berries are just days away from flowering. What does this mean you ask? Well, it means there had better be NO FREEZING WEATHER!!!    In 2007 we had blooms the first of April... then we had freezing weather for several days... then we had... no BERRIES!
Secondly, it means we may have berries earlier- we'll have to just wait and see.

And, just for assurance, Blueberry Hill Farm IS having a U-PICK this summer.

Stay tuned for more details!

Are you a Fan or Follower?

For those of you with children, turn to page 83 in Kyle Idleman's book, 'not a fan'... what? You don't have the book? Buy it! You can get it through Amazon.com, notafan.com, or at a Lifeway Christian bookstore.

On page 83, Kyle recounts a meeting he had with a father in Houston TX. The father had a prodigal daughter. Kyle states, "As soon as he started the story I knew how it would go. I've heard it so many times, even the details seem predictable."  When the man finished speaking, he didn't look or ask for an explanation, instead he gave one:  "We raised her in church, but we didn't raise her in Christ."  Paraphrasing the last paragraph on the page... we taught her to keep the rules but never about having a relationship with Jesus. We taught her to be a fan of Jesus- instead of being a follower.*All of this is on page 83 of 'not a fan', beginning in the second paragraph*

This is such a true... and painful reality. We take our children to church 2-3 times a week, then to special activities and groups. When they graduate out of the  'youth group', we don't understand their disinterest in church, why they want to walk away. I know I didn't understand why until many years later... many years.

The Bible (God) doesn't say "Take them to church that they may grow in me and learn to love me." It plainly states in Deuteronomy 6:  6And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. It is the responsibility of the parent to teach their children, to introduce them to God himself, to model a genuine fear, reverence and love for Him ourselves, that they will desire to follow hard after Him.

I now know that I gave my responsibility away to the church because of my lack and my laziness. My lack of hunger, my lack of knowledge. And fear. It is a HUGE responsibility to ... bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.(Eph 6:4b) Laziness as in, if I had to teach them, then I had to learn and grow first! Unfortunately at that time of my life I was all about soaking it up, being fed and led, dancing and shouting, and looking down on those who 'didn't have the Spirit' as I knew it. So, I say, 'I am sorry' to my oldest children. I love you and wish I knew then what I know now. Parents only operate with their current level of understanding.

So, train up your children in the Lord.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart mind strength and soul.  Meet with God first, then share with your children.

You will faint if you reap not!

What do you think?

For those of you who watch just to find out what's for sale... this might not be for you. I am posting a question (I have my own thoughts as to the correct answer) that comes up quite frequently in witnessing.

"I just want to have fun before I become a Christian."
What does this mean? Does this person already know what it means to be a Christian? If so, then he/she has sat under biblical teaching and understood what was being said... is he/she now accountable? What happens if he/she is in an accident? Has he/she actually made a decision?
I see that he/she is not converted, that he/she has not made a 'decision' for Christ, but doesn't he/she already have the knowledge? Isn't he/she now making a decision to not follow?

What if there is 'no later'??

Finished!...for now!

Thanks to all who have assisted us by purchasing our laying hens. I hope that they are doing for you what you expected! We have sold all that we want for right now. We will be selling the balance about the first of September.