Peach Entrepreneur Presents May 29 Farm Tour

Peach Crest Farm (click on photo for high resolution image)

When Oklahomans hear “Stratford,” they think of peaches, and Susan Bergen means to keep it that way.  Since her first harvest in 2003, Bergen has brought peaches back to the area with a bang.

On May 29 from 5 – 8, Bergen will take visitors on a tour of her orchards, fields, and packing house at Peach Crest Farm, and explain how it all fits together profitably.

“You will see how we irrigate, integrate and implement what the customer is looking for on this acreage: great tasting produce, sold at a reasonable price,” Bergen says.

She’ll also discuss her other fruit and vegetable crops, including twelve certified organic acres, and her participation in the state’s Farm-to-School program. 

Oklahoma Farm-to-School Coordinator Chris Kirby will also talk about the program, and how farmers can get involved.

Registration, due by May 23, is $10 and includes dinner.  To register, call 918.647.9123 or visit www.kerrcenter.com/HTML/events.html
#fielddaymay29.

The Kerr Center is sponsoring the event, in partnership with the USDA Risk Management Agency and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry.

The tour will highlight Peach Crest Farm’s post-harvest handling methods. A custom-made system chills produce as soon as it leaves the fields, to preserve freshness and quality.

“Knowing how to handle it once you’ve got it grown – that’s an essential element to farming,” says Bergen.

Bergen also has a plan for any less-than-perfect peaches.  She turns them into canned products, from traditional favorites like peach jam and peach butter, to peach salsa, peach mustard and peach barbecue sauce. 

The canned goods turn waste into income, and a seasonal crop into a product that sells year-round. “It’s been huge in leveling out my cash flow,” she says.

Bergen began by selling peaches at several farmers’ markets, and later through the Oklahoma Food Co-op.  She now supplies several major retail grocery chains, and is just getting started in the Farm-to-School program.

By bringing fresh local food into school lunches, the Farm to School program aims to improve children’s health and nutrition, and boost rural economies.

It began as a pilot project in 2004, with Oklahoma-grown watermelons in four school districts, and tripled in size the next year. 

The state legislature made Farm-to-School an official program in 2006, creating a state coordinator position within the Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry. 

The program now brings fresh Oklahoma-grown fruits and vegetables from Oklahoma farms to over 350 schools in more than 30 districts.  Demand has consistently outpaced supply, creating opportunities for new and existing farmers.

The tour will be held rain or shine.  Bring a lawn chair, and wear shoes appropriate for walking in fields.

Other upcoming events for farmers and gardeners include an organic farm tour on July 10 at the OSU/ARS research center at Lane in southeast Oklahoma and the Future Farms 2008 conference/farm tours August 5 and 6.

For more information on events visit www.kerrcenter.com.