Growing locally

As economy adds to winter chill, farmers prepare for spring's return

From Berlin to Weston, fields and flower plots sit dormant. The ground is frozen, the seeds not yet in the ground. Yet farmers are busy, repairing equipment and planning new crops.

As winter wanes, they worry what blessings or scourges the weather may bring. This year, they face an uncertain economic climate as well.

"The question is, will the consumer who says 'we're not going to travel as much, we're not going to go out to dinner as much,' still go buy good produce locally?" asked Tim Wheeler, the sixth generation of his family to tend Indian Head Farm in Berlin.

"And will they take advantage of pick-your-own? I don't know, that's the question."

The demand for locally grown produce and the surge in agritourism has helped Massachusetts agriculture blossom this decade, with crop and livestock sales growing 27 percent from 2002 to 2007.

And there are no signs yet of a downturn, said Scott Soares, the state's assistant agricultural commissioner. "There has been an increase in the number of farmers markets that have come on line, and a real surge and demand for the local produce that our farmers are growing," he said.

But in their traditionally cautious way, farmers are hedging against the recession. In Bolton, owners of the Nicewicz Family Farm have decided against raising prices this year, even though the price of fuel, fertilizer, and chemicals went up this winter. "We're trying to keep prices down this year as much as we possibly can," said Ken Nicewicz, who runs the farm with his three brothers, who range in age from their mid-50s to early 60s.

Still, he said, he is cautiously optimistic.

"People may not have the cash to spend on going to restaurants," he said. "They may be going more to farmers markets instead, and we are trying to be more empathetic to their needs."

With the recession, said Soares, "People become a little more insular. They start to look more at their local economies and seeing a lot more opportunities for local production."

All four Nicewicz brothers live on the farm, and the quartet can be found at farmers markets from Newton and Brookline to Somerville and Worcester once the harvesting begins, offering their peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries, berries, pears and apples. In the fall, the farm opens to the public for pick-your-own.

This time of year, the farm gets few visitors and the trees are bare, but the farmers get little respite. "I'd like to say I spend two months in Barbados, but that ain't gonna happen," Ken Nicewicz said, laughing.

Shortly after the orchard closes for the season, the brothers begin pruning their blueberry bushes and apple trees, a task they cannot do in any other season. The branches need to lie dormant in the colder winter temperatures to prevent damage, Nicewicz explained.

Winter is also when Nicewicz attends workshops to stay current on pest management techniques, learn about new varieties of fruit, and network with other farmers.

With the economy slow, some local businesses are thankful for the chores keeping farmers busy.

"We tend to get more farm equipment in the winter to overhaul and repair," said Charlie Pidacks, one of the owners of Village Power Equipment, a sales and repair shop in Berlin. "In the spring, they need to be using them. They use 'em in the summer for cultivating and they use 'em in the fall for harvesting. So in the winter, we get them."

While on a break from buttoning up a 1946 tractor, Pidacks said more people are fixing their equipment this year than buying new machines. "I can't really complain," he said.

At Indian Head Farm, Wheeler spent this winter researching corn-burning furnaces. He plans to install one in a greenhouse; the move will pay dividends in two ways, he said, by cutting down on his propane bill and supporting another area farmer. "It is an attempt to use a local fuel source, corn, grown by local farmers," he explained.

In addition, Wheeler keeps a long list of things to do: planning new crops (he will add Asian vegetables like bok choy this spring), building an addition to his Pleasant Street farm stand from wood that he logged, and, as of next Sunday, pruning the blueberry bushes. "It's nice to be able to close the doors and reflect a little bit on what needs to be modified for the next year," he said.

Not all winter farm work is reflection and upkeep, however. Land's Sake Farm in Weston bustled last week, as 20 middle-school students joined farm staff to hold the first sap boil of the maple syrup season.

"Last week, we collected Monday, Thursday and Sunday. So today, it's time to boil," said education director Casey Townsend.

The Natick Community Organic Farm stays open through the winter by offering tours and programming for students and the wider community. The farm brings in additional winter revenue by selling greenhouse-grown salad greens and fresh maple syrup.

"We've always been a year-round operation," director Lynda Simkins said. Simkins and her staff recently put in more than 600 taps on maple trees around town, and started collecting the sap.

"It's really neat to have these buckets hanging on the trees in suburbia," she said. "It makes people realize that they don't have to drive all the way to Vermont. Here in New England, people have to learn what is grown in New England and stored in New England all winter long."

Recession or not, area farmers are taking things one day at a time, an approach they are used to.

"Farming is so dependent on what's happening hour to hour," explained Alicia Pritt over at Land's Sake.

And on the day of the first boil, the economy was the last thing on her mind. Monday was all about syrup.

Two workers at the farm arrived at the sugarhouse early to empty the sap storage tank. They loaded the wood stove with logs chopped from nearby woods before the students showed up to help with the boiling process.

"Things like maple sugaring, it's not just for fun," said Pritt. "It's where we draw our life from. Things are still out growing in winter. The trees are still alive and giving their life. It's important to keep that connection present."