Sierra Cascade Blueberry Farm

FARMLAND: 9 of 60 acres are actively farmed in Forest Ranch, about 190 miles from the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market

PEOPLE: John and Armen Carlon and their two sons, Ryan and Will, along with 2 full-time and 60 seasonal employees

ABOUT: John and Armen purchased their farm in 1986, after John studied agriculture in college and farmed overseas in Sudan. They decided to plant blueberries because they saw them as a sustainable crop that would provide an opportunity to develop a financially viable family farm. The Carlons' goal is to replicate nature and produce high quality blueberries with no off-farm inputs. They are working to create a fair and positive working environment and integrate their farm into the larger natural landscape including the watershed, native habitat, and wildlife. Sierra Cascade Blueberry Farm is one of the oldest blueberry farms in California.

SOIL: Volcanic based silty loam soil. Native grasses are grown as permanent cover crops between rows of berries and sawdust mulch is applied to build up the soil quality.

WEED CONTROL: Hand weeding and machine cultivation.

PEST MANAGEMENT: The only bothersome pests are birds, but the Carlons accept that birds will eat some berries during the harvest time and do not worry much about it.

WATER USE: Water is the most limiting component of production. They use on-site wells to drip irrigate and try to eliminate water run-off.

ORGANIC CERTIFICATION: Oregon Tilth since 1995

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