Riley Creek Blueberry Farm: A Case Study of a Small-Acreage Farm

What does it take to become a small-farm blueberry producer? Stan Urmann, owner of Riley Creek Blueberry Farm, a five-acre farm in the Idaho panhandle, shares his experiences in this 45-minute YouTube video. He provides advice for all the issues you need to think through: site and crop variety selection; planting, pruning and irrigation strategies; pest control; harvesting (establishing a labor force); marketing tactics (wholesale, retail, mailing lists); developing value-added products (jams, syrups); business planning; and addressing industry regulations. The lessons he's learned along the way will help you to better grasp the opportunities and challenges that small-acreage farming offers.