Farm Animals at Burdick Blueberries?

You might be wondering why all these adorable animals keep showing up and filling the barn at Burdick Blueberries, a pick-your-own blueberry farm. Well, I’ve been pondering this question lately. First, I’ll give a little farm history. Starting in 1937, my grandfather, Milton Burdick, leased and successfully grew potatoes on this land.  He purchased it in 1952 when it came up for sale.  After preparing the field with amendments, cover crops, etc., he and my dad went berserk, planting about 30,000 blueberry plants over a span of a decade. During this period, my mom and dad, who were teachers living in Connecticut, would visit summers to help my grandfather. However, the pick-your-own concept was not my grandfather’s forte. In fact, he had planned selling to market and farm stands when he started growing blueberries. With labor shortages at the time and some difficulty finding pickers, he realized the pick-your-own model might actually be a good fit for the farm. The only problem for him was that while he loved the planting and growing, he was not so interested in the people part of the agri-tourism equation. Wisely, he recruited my mom and dad’s help. They moved to the Patch full-time around 1962 with my brother and sister. The on-site hunting lodge was renovated, adding bedrooms and an attached two-bedroom apartment for my grandparents. I was born within the year.

This is where the animals come into the picture. My grandfather was so protective of his precious young blueberry bushes that sometime in the early sixties he set down a law that kids under 12 could not go into the patch. My mom and dad thought to soften this a bit by having some critters to entertain the kids while their parents picked berries. So I grew up always having some sheep, goats, and my sister’s horse (boarded at a neighbor’s barn).  As I was growing up, my grandfather, a very consistent man, wouldn’t let me in the patch until I was 12 either! The upside was that I got to play with all the under-12 kids, plus sheep and goats. I remember one summer I earned a quarter for babysitting the cutest little dog while his people picked berries. I was so thrilled! Speaking of dogs… We’ve had the most wonderful farm dogs over the years, including our current best-dog, Abby.  Some of our long-time customers can attest that greeting the animals is such a special part of the berry-picking experience. After Milton passed, my parents and sister eventually dropped the no-admittance law for kids under 12. 

Now let’s take a big jump to 2010. At this time, my sister Paula Jo owned the Patch. She had a simple but lovely horse barn built—a lifelong dream of hers. She loved having her horse living on the property and boarded 2 friends’ horses as well.  She had 2 happy years with the horses so close by. Sadly, Paula passed on in December 2014, and her beloved horse was given to a dedicated young horse girl. 

Beth and I arrived on April 1, 2015, to keep the Patch running and in the family. I put the now-empty horse barn to good use for equipment storage! We were so overwhelmed with farm work and learning to run a business that it didn’t enter my mind that I could have animals in this beautiful barn. My sister was always the horse girl! Now, it just so happens that one of the farm’s workers is also a horse girl. Over the years, working side by side with her and hearing talk about horses, I started to dream of filling the barn with my own critters. When I get that nudge, a new idea or concept occurring to me, I find myself asking, “Would my Mom, Dad, and Paula Jo approve of this?” This time I received a very warm feeling of yes, they would. So with enthusiastic support from friends, I started to fill the barn up with a bunch of new characters. Beth was on board with my idea too because she too grew up with a few farm animals, and this was an answer to her prayers for an abundant and good source of compost for the flower gardens!

Some people may think I’m crazy, “Hey, wasn’t I already busy enough?”.  But after 3 years of having the barn full, I can say I have no regrets.  It’s only been a year since Buddy, a retired Amish buggy horse, arrived. Last spring, the farm’s guesthouse visitors bravely joined me as I got the feel of the reins with Buddy, driving around the Patch in my new wagon. It went very well. He is so easy-going and reliable.  I’m hoping to figure out how to fit wagon rides in this summer with our blueberry customers.  Now Blue, our young Shetland pony, is an entirely different story. He’s trained to drive for sure, but he’s full of beans and thinks he’s made for speed. He and I are still figuring out who’s driving who! He’s tons of fun though and quite adorable with his blue eyes and spotted coat. Of course, I also had to follow the tradition of having goats at the farm, so there’s Sweet Pea and Poppy, our Nigerian dwarf goats. Their antics keep me laughing. Finally, to rule over the barn, we have two barn cats, Kiki and Beatrix. This is a very surprising twist for me. I thought I didn’t particularly like cats. I had no idea that cats can come when they’re called or go on walks with you. I love them too. Speaking of all my critters, I’m realizing that I need to run to the barn and put them to bed for the night. I am so fortunate. I hope you can say hello to them next time you visit the Patch!