Pick-your-own berries a Zimmerman Berry Farm.

Growing berries is "pretty cool" according to Will Zimmerman, age 14. His sister Ashley, age 9, agrees, "you meet new people, and you can walk right out you front door and pick berries for a cobbler."

Will and Ashley are carrying on a family tradition as the fourth, generation to work on the family farm in Madison County. The Zimmerman family, known for their hard work and love of agriculture, is taking a new approach to farming. For over a century growing tobacco was the only way to survive as a farmer in many rural areas of western North Carolina. Now, a desire on the part of the Zimmerman family to find new ways to make a living in farming, has them converting tobacco land to pick-your-own berry production.

Switching from tobacco to growing berries has many challenges "The community thought I'd lost my mind," reports Pam Zimmerman, mother of Will and Rachel, when she had the field in front of her house plowed and formed into raised beds for planting berries. "We walked Into this blind. There was so much we did not know."

All their lives, Pam and her husband Billy had grown tobacco us a cash crop, with fruits and vegetables in the kitchen garden for themselves. Now they are converting tobacco fields to sustainable berry production. Walking down the well-tended and vigorous rows of head-high berry plants, it is obvious that they are serious about what they grow. They are doing everything they can to produce their berries naturally, from collecting preying mantis (a beneficial Insect) egg sacs and distributing them throughout the berry patch, to investigating conversion to organic production.

"We would like to move to organic but it is a process. It takes time and money, but we want to supply our customers with what they want," says Pam.

The transition has not been easy. The process of changing crops requires new equipment and production techniques. Transitioning to more sustainable farming methods takes time and investment. This year, the Zimmermans are part of the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project's (ASAP) Transition Program. This program, through a grant from the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, is providing grants and technical assistance to tobacco farmers looking to diversify. As part of the program the Zimmerman Farm will Install irrigation equipment, a critical need for berry production, receive farmer mentoring, and participate in farmer field days.

The Zimmerman's entire 2 1/2 acres of berries is a pick-your-own, with some of the berries sold at the Madison County Farmers' Market. They are experimenting with processing berries--making jams and jellies and even berry syrups. They are also providing a farm experience to whomever makes the journey out to their farm.

"We forget what we have sometimes," says Pam, noting that many people have lost all contact with where their food comes from and the farm families that grow the food. Pam believes it is important for everyone to understand and feel the connection.

"Most folks don't get to see things growing, they don't get to see operating farms that are providing the food." That's one of the reasons they are doing a pick-your-own, so that others can experience farm life and make the connection between food, farms and the people who grow the crops. This type of work also allows Pam to work from home and raise her kids on a working farm, an experience she feels is invaluable.

Zimmerman Berry Farm grows many different kinds of berries. Starting in mid-June the black raspberries are ready, followed by blackberries in early July and red and gold raspberries in early August. Berry season runs until frost. This year they will have some blueberries starting in July.

Zimmerman Berry Farm is located in the heart of Madison County, about an hour from Asheville. Call 828-656-2056 for directions.

Find more about Zimmerman Berry Farm and other mountain farms (and markets for local farm products) in the ASAP Local Food Guide, on-line at www.BuyAppalachian.org. The 2003 printed Local Food Guide is available throughout western North Carolina at tailgate markets, farms, and businesses that support local farms. To find out more about the ASAP Transition Program visit www.asapconnections.org.