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| Figure 64. Many people enjoy pick-your-own berries. |
Black, red, and purple raspberries can be grown successfully, both commercially and in home gardens in Ohio. The most popular raspberry in Ohio is the black. The red is the second most popular, while the purple and yellow are less widely grown. The purple raspberry, a hybrid between the red and black, is very productive, and its fruits are suitable for dessert and culinary purposes.
Usually the red cultivars ripen first, followed by the black and the purple types. There is considerable overlapping in ripening seasons. In Ohio, raspberries are in season in June, July, and early August. Everbearing red raspberries are in season in August and again in September and October. In general, the purple and red are the largest fruited and can be very productive. There are also yellow-fruited kinds, and the new cultivars show promise.
Pick Your Own
The pick-your-own concept has been used with other fruits and vegetables during the past decade. High labor costs and lack of a wholesale market at a fair return has made pick-your-own much more attractive for small growers. The cost-price squeeze is particularly dramatic in the case of brambles. Not only is this a means of increasing the grower's net return, but it is also providing a source of good quality produce and recreation for the consumer.
Pick-your-own marketing is a form of recreation that allows the whole family to participate as a unit. From the urban customer's point of view, the value of a trip to the country to visit a farm should not be underestimated. Many urban customers enjoy seeing how food is produced, taking part in harvesting the fruit, and returning home with large enough quantities of top-quality produce for home canning and freezing.
Pricing: Volume vs. Weight
Producers must know the cost of production in order to establish a fair price for their berries (see Economics Section, pages 83 to 92). Obviously, a good price for pick-your-own berries must not be too far out of line with the prices of competitors. Another important function of price is to move the product to the proper place so that there will not be too many or too few customers on the premises at the same time.
Selling by volume can create a number of problems. The biggest example is trying to determine how full the container should be. If you object to or charge more for overfilled containers, you arouse the ire of customers. Therefore, most growers have changed from volume measures to weight sales. Selling by weight rather than volume eliminates many arguments with customers over price. The process of weighing takes more time than simply counting pints or quarts, but it is the fairest system for both the customer and the grower. Weight sales also proceed about as fast as volume sales when you consider there is virtually no time lost quibbling with customers.
Handling the Customers
Handling large numbers of customers at pick-your-own operations is much easier when the operator has drawn up a clear set of rules and policies covering the situations that may result in misunderstandings. A well-thought-out set of rules is an important part of the pick-your-own operation.
Rules should be posted on a large sign at the check-in station so that customers can see them when they enter. It will help keep the good will of customers if they understand the rules before they begin picking. If you have many customers, it may be worthwhile to have a printed copy of the rules to give customers as they check in.
The numbers of field supervisors on many farms range from one worker for five acres up to two workers per acre, an average being one worker for approximately two acres. A portable two-way radio enables field workers to call for more help or containers. Daily contact with crowds of customers will tax your patience, but good planning will help eliminate uncomfortable situations. Experience shows that "polite, but firm" is the best practice.
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| Figure 64. Many people enjoy pick-your-own berries. |
Children
Viewpoints differ from grower to grower whether to allow children to pick and at what age. Small children quickly lose interest in helping with the harvest, but children ranging from 10 to 18 can be a real help in the harvesting operation. Therefore, many farms establish a minimum age of 10 or 12 before allowing children to pick with their parents and/or require children to stay within 10 feet of their parents. Growers may also provide fenced-in areas with swings, a play area, and a shady rest area. Most growers feel strongly that pick-your-own is a family activity and that children should have a happy experience as they will be the customers of tomorrow.
Containers
Many growers find it simpler and more efficient to provide the harvesting container than to allow the customer to pick in his/her own container. Because of the extra time and congestion at the checkout station and the increased opportunity for bruising soft fruit such as raspberries, it is best to provide a standard measure container. Also, figure the price of the container into the overall price of the product. For good advertising, print the grower's name, address, phone number, and a map to the farm on the container. Never pick raspberries into anything larger than a pint box. A pint container that is broad and shallow is good because a customer can't place more than three layers in the box. Raspberries are so fragile that if piled much higher, they will be mashed. The average harvest of most pick-your-own customers is about 10 to 12 pounds of fruit per person each visit.
Promotion and Advertising
Growers can make the public aware of their enterprise in many ways. Because advertising is expensive, careful analysis of your situation and what you want to achieve with your advertising dollars is essential for a successful advertising program. Growers starting a pick-your-own operation for the first time will find that radio and daily newspapers provide the necessary timeliness and best flexibility. Small growers must take the precaution to match the advertising coverage to the volume of produce available. Established growers will find that word-of-mouth is critical, as usually more than 50 percent of pick-your-own customers are repeaters.