April 14, 2017
CapitalPress.com
5
Berry farm thrives amid growing suburbs
For the Capital Press
Suzanne Frary/For the Capital Press
Bill Zimmerman checks the
blueberry plants on his farm
north of Vancouver, Wash-
ington, Feb. 13. Bi-Zi Farms
grows about 30 acres of berries,
including around 5 acres of
blueberries.
Clark County.
The farm, founded by the
Zimmerman family in 1872,
is bordered by 27 houses and a
two-lane road the county plans
to widen to four lanes.
Bill and Peggy Zimmerman
started farming full-time in
1981. Their son and daughter-
devoted to strawberries, blue-
berries, raspberries and black-
berries. The fruit accounts for
about 25 percent of the farm’s
business.
“Local strawberries are al-
ways a hit,” Peggy Zimmerman
said.
“All the berries do fantastic
here. It’s the perfect weather for
them,” Bill Zimmerman said.
He credits Southwest Wash-
ington’s mild temperatures and
low humidity for keeping the
berries healthy.
The farm grows early-, mid-
and late-season varieties, har-
vesting fruit from June through
September.
After the growing season,
Bi-Zi Farms stays open with an
October corn maze and pump-
kin patch. It also sells Christ-
mas trees and wreaths during
November and December.
The Zimmermans hire
about 25 pickers. Many stay
on through fall. About five em-
ployees work in the fields year-
round, tending the blackberry
and raspberry canes.
In the past, Bill Zimmerman
didn’t have concerns about
finding workers. That’s begin-
ning to change. It’s too early
to know the Trump administra-
tion’s effect on labor.
Already, though, Zimmer-
man has heard talk of workers
returning to Mexico because
they “don’t want to put up with
the harassment.”
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Bi-Zi Farms owners Bill
and Peggy Zimmerman have
an understanding with their
neighbors. People are welcome
to walk the dirt paths around
the fields, but please don’t eat
the berries.
The farm’s fruits and veg-
etables sometimes prove too
tempting. Strawberries in par-
ticular attract illicit pickers to
the property north of Vancou-
ver, Wash.
“We explain that we sell
what we grow. It’s how we
make our living,” Bill Zimmer-
man said.
Zimmerman worries not
only about neighbors cutting
into profits, but he also worries
about their health.
“When people pick the ber-
ries, they don’t know we have
certain times when we spray,”
he said. “There are mice and
other mammals around, and
there could be droppings.
There’s a chance of E. coli.”
Interlopers unfamiliar with
agriculture are a challenge for
the owners of the 105-acre farm
in a rapidly developing area of
in-law, Doug and Sadie Zim-
merman, have joined them.
Since 1993, they have sold
their berries, flowers and veg-
etables directly to customers
from their roadside store. Be-
fore that, the Zimmermans
grew oats and clover seed.
Neighbors have complained
about dust and early morning
noise. One neighbor said bees
were “pooping” on her roof.
She was placated with a quart
of honey.
Bill Zimmerman said they
try to compromise with neigh-
bors. He said there’s give-and-
take when farming in a residen-
tial area.
Some homeowners are hap-
py to have a farm next door.
They’ve told the Zimmermans
they prefer fields to another
subdivision.
When asked if there’s an
upside to farming in an urban
area, Peggy Zimmerman said,
“Yes. 400,000 customers in the
county.”
“We are almost at the limit
of what we can sell,” Bill Zim-
merman said.
Nearly every acre of the
farm, plus 10 leased acres, are
committed. About 30 acres are
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By SUZANNE FRARY