Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
into the area throughout the summer and fall. The diversity of products
available is a powerful magnet that draws potential customers into the area.
When designing a U-pick orchard, provide easy access from a main road
and make sure you have a large, well-marked parking area. It is a good idea
to fence the parking area or otherwise isolate it so that people cannot drive
into your farmyard or fields. Locate the parking area close to the fields, if
possible. Roads and paths should be wide, clearly marked, and laid out for
maximum customer convenience. Use easy-to-read, clearly worded signs to
direct customers to the portions of the orchard that you want harvested.
Rope off other areas, if necessary, to keep people out of them.
U-pick customers often like to wander over a large area, selecting only
perfect produce. You, on the other hand, want all of your crop harvested and
will need to direct and closely supervise the customers to make sure they are
doing a thorough job of harvesting. If it is difficult to know when to harvest
a crop, such as when to harvest apples for storing or processing, plan on edu-
cating your customers. You cannot, of course, insist that they take rotten or
otherwise unmarketable produce. Open only one part of the orchard to har-
vest at a time or assign customers to pick specific areas. When those areas
are thoroughly harvested, open up new areas. Just remember that people
have gone out of their way to visit your farm. Keep directions and supervi-
sion upbeat and pleasant. Word-of-mouth advertising is the most important
promotional tool for U-pick operations. Do everything that you reasonably
can to make the visit pleasant.
For parents who are not able or willing to closely supervise their children
when picking, you might offer a free babysitting service or provide a su-
pervised playground that will keep the children occupied and prevent them
from wandering into potentially dangerous areas. Even with the cost of a
playground and hiring a babysitter, the reduced risk of personal injury and
increased customer appreciation should more than pay you back. Along the
same lines, you can make harvesting food a recreational experience for cus-
tomers by adding a picnic area or petting zoo.
