Greg Zwald spent most of his life as a dairy farmer, but at 60 years old, he left his family farm to start a new venture: a certified organic, you-pick berry farm.
At White Pine Berry Farm in River Falls, Zwald and his son, Andrew, who has been part-owner and manager of the farm for the past six years, grow strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, currants, pumpkins, flowers, asparagus and Christmas trees. They also have an old barn they converted into a wedding venue and a retail center, where they sell their own products along with other locally sourced items, such as honey, fudge and salsa.
Their mission is to encourage people to visit the farm and harvest their own produce, giving them a chance to experience firsthand where their food comes from.
“My goal when starting this was to create a place where young families and kids could come learn more about how things grow, especially as every generation continues to be more and more removed from the farm,” Greg said.
At the farm, the Zwalds host school tours every year.
“One year, I met a kid who said they didn’t like strawberries,” he said. “However, when they tried ours, which are fresh and ripe, they said that our strawberries didn’t taste anything like store-bought ones.”
Greg has been a WWCC member since the group started and had the opportunity to host a WWCC field event this past summer.
“Since our farm is unique compared to other crop farmers, it was a great evening to invite other members and those in the community to our farm to visit and enjoy activities like our corn maze,” Greg said.
As a member of WWCC, sustainable farming has always been a priority for Greg. At his farm, he focuses on using conservation practices, such as cover cropping, to increase biological activity in the soil. Over the years, he has seen positive results, including increases in production, which motivate him to continue progressing in his sustainability journey. Being part of the farmer-led group has allowed him to learn new things and stay up to date with the latest sustainable farming research. He’s also been a part of the group’s well-testing program, which is creating a long term database of groundwater nitrate levels in member wells, with the help of researchers at UW-River Falls.
“The educational opportunities through WWCC are really great, whether it’s farmer to farmer sharing of new ideas and methods or access to agricultural experts, including professors at UW-River Falls,” he said. “It’s also a great way to demonstrate to others how we’re being proactive on our farm and continually learning new ways of doing things.”