The Greening
Hanson Berry Farms
This farm may be a small, family farm but it definitely succeeds in having a tremendous impact in the local community. Hanson Berry Farm is located at 3178 Eastlawn Road just outside the quaint town of Madisonville. They grow their own produce (including strawberries), harvest their own honey, participate in dairy replacement, as well as sell plants for homes in their own greenhouse!
A Madisonville North Hopkins High School AP environmental science class visited the farm on May 18, 2013. The owner, Scott Wells gave the group a tour while giving them knowledge about how the farm works. “When growing our produce, we use a system called plasticulture, specifically plastic mulching”, Wells said. Plastic mulching is when a thin plastic film is placed over the ground, poking holes at regular intervals for seeds to be planted in. The main functions of plastic mulch are to insulate and maintain a consistent temperature and humidity of the soil, preventing evaporation of moisture from the soil, minimization of seedtime and harvest, prevent weed growth, and to prevent erosion.
When referring to the farm’s 14 bee hives, Wells recounted, “Originally our hives were purely for pollination purposes; the honey is an added bonus.” Then he joked with an interesting fact, “Male bees (drone bees) are actually good for nothing after reproducing with the queen bee, therefore our hives are heavily female.” Hanson berry farm also participates in a dairy replacement program, in which cows are raised on site so that they can be sold to dairies.
The Hanson Berry farm is also a community-friendly place. It was the first farm in the county to start a CSA program, in which consumers buy subscriptions where they got a weekly share of local fresh vegetables. During the fall, the farm projects large movies on their barn along with many other activities for the children of the community. Mr. Wells’s final statement was “This farm has been localized and friendly since the late 1800’s, and I intend to keep it that way.”
Products of Hanson Berry Farm