Image provided by: Friends of the Sandy Public Library; Sandy, OR
About Sandy post. (Sandy, Oregon) 1938-current | View Entire Issue (June 11, 1981)
Section SANDY. OREGON. THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 1981 The Sdntiy Post If you think postal employees are dedicated, try visiting a straw berry field some tim e It's done nothing but rain for the past three weeks, but that hasn't halted the efforts of local straw berry pickers who have returned to the berry battle front day after day. One of the area's larger straw berry farm s, Liepold's of Boring, has been in business for some 30 years and Elsa Liepold said that its the dedica tion of the pickers who make it all worthwhile. “ Hain or shine, these kids are out,” she said. “ It makes them tough, stoic. And it gives them money These people really hustle out here — they like to hear the jingle in their pockets ” The rain has had a mixed effect on the straw berry business this year. On one hand, the m ild w inter and constant rains have helped produce a bumper crop of berries. But the rain has also presented the possibili ty of rot and the d iffic u lty in harvesting, “ We have a huge crop this year, a really good crop,” Mrs Liepold said. “ The rot isn’t too bad. When the plants were blooming, my hus band (John) sprayed them and we've been spraying them every week since. The rain has really sized the berries up, too ” T hat’s good news for the pickers, as well as the growers and retailers. Many of the Liepold berries go to Area News People Home & Garden Features com m ercial stands, such as Janz Berryland. Workers picking com m ercial berries, those with the stems on. are paid $1 25 a crate on weekdays A $1 50 weekend price is an incentive to get workers on Satur days and Sundays A crate w ill con tain 9*4 pounds. Berries picked without stems are targeted for canneries Pickers can earn 10 cents a pound for their ef forts. “ I t ’s hard to say how much you can make p icking,” Mrs Liepold said. “ There is no average. One Cambodian lady has been here two- and-a-half hours this morning and has already made $25. But not everyone can make that much ” The Liepold farm is a fam ily a f fair. Everyone helps out on the 45-acre farm and many of their pickers have returned year after year. We've been in the business for 30 years and there's lots of w orries.” Mrs. Liepold said “ But I love it when the old pickers come o u t; some have been here for years “ You always w orry about the berry business, though,” she added You have the weather to contend with, the picker situation and the government There are a lot of hands dipping into your pockets, it costs a lot to be a strawberry fa rm e r.” There may be a lot of worries, but the pickers are out, the berries are plentiful and good and another sue cessful season is underway. (flo rk w lw from top) Chang Dang, a Cambodian girl now living in Boring, picks in the l iepold fields; to young Io pick. l.upe Castellanos plays with a carl in the mud while her parents work; M arcia Liepold weighs a crate of strawberries as the line of fast pickers builds; her mother. Elsa l iepold, shows off this year’s bumper crop of ripe berries. « <.V »V
