Apr 7, 2007
Oklahoma Grower Shares Tips and Sound Techniques

Lavon Williams has been growing blueberries for only a year, but he’s already learned enough to show other people how to do it.

On June 11, Williams will host a group from the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture. The farm tour is part of a field day for potential blueberry growers. During his presentation, Williams will encourage his visitors to be patient and not take shortcuts if they decide to start their own blueberry farms.

Tilling the soil and planting a cover crop beforehand are important steps to take, he said.

“Do things the right way,” he said. “The work’s not hard, there’s just a lot of it.”

He’ll talk about soil, irrigation, chemicals, planning techniques, weed control, “anything that can make it better, faster and easier,” he said.

“Don’t buy equipment you don’t need until you need it,” he said. “You won’t recoup money from extra expenses for a while.”

Williams, 49, owns a 53-acre farm in Poteau, Okla. He grew up in Arizona, where his father was a farmer.

Williams bought his farm in 2002. He wanted to find a way for the land to pay for itself, so he originally looked into growing Christmas trees. However, when he called Alan Ware at the Kerr Center, he discovered the benefits of blueberries.

The Kerr Center is a private foundation in Oklahoma that works for sustainable agriculture. It’s a valuable resource for small farmers, Williams said.

“They’re just really easy to work with,” he said. “I call them all the time. They’re there to guide me through problems and situations that come up.”

The center’s greatest resource for blueberry growers might be Ware, also known as the Blueberry King. He’s been growing the fruit for 20 years, according to the center.

Ware worked closely with Williams, laying out a step-by-step plan to build a blueberry farm from the ground up.

“It’s not an easy thing,” Williams said. “It takes a certain kind of person to do it. You need a fair amount of financial resources.”

To help control weeds, Williams started planting cover crops of sorghum, wheat and rye in the spring of 2003. The cover crops were tilled in the next year, and replaced with beds of blueberries. Williams planted 1.5 acres last year, and added an acre this year. He’ll plant another acre next spring. He eventually wants to have five or six acres, he said.

“We need to go slow and see how it feels,” he said. “I don’t want to get so big we can’t get weed control.”

Williams expects to start harvesting blueberries next June, and to continue for the next 20 to 25 years. So far, plant growth has been exceptional, despite the land’s poor drainage. Williams attributed it to preparing the ground properly beforehand.

The farm also grows half an acre of blackberries, which will be in their second year of production. Williams is anticipating a heavy crop this year. He’s also considering other crops, like hazelnuts, pecans, pumpkins, grapes and plums.

The farm was a cattle pasture before Williams bought it. He always admired the property, and decided to buy it when it went up for sale. He and his wife, Deann, want to build a house there, eventually. In the meantime, they live about four miles from the farm. Williams works as a financial planner during the day. His wife is a stenographer. They have three children.

His youngest son, Tanner, is still in high school, and helps out on the farm. During the peak season, Williams will probably have to hire extra help, he said.

When he finally starts harvesting blueberries, he’ll be faced with a new problem: how to get rid of them. He’ll probably start with u-pick, and eventually sell berries in farmers’ markets, he said.




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