Angie Cormier, along with husband Darren, run the Prairie Fruit Growers Association and have their own
u-pick operation, Cormier’s Berry Patch at La Salle: “Our industry is growing. We have growers who supply
local restaurants, chocolate makers, and ice cream stores.”
Cathy and Bob Holland operate Frank’s Place U-Pick outside Swan River, an operation that has been going
strong for three decades and sells about 500 pails of berries annually.
has members in the Interlake and Swan
Valley areas. The most popular fruits are
strawberries, raspberries, saskatoons,
haskap, and sour cherry.
Depending on each farm’s business
plan, operations include u-pick, prepicked,
delivery to farmers’ markets, or
a combination of the three. Membership
in PFGA is voluntary, but those that
belong to the association see benefits
they could not manage on their own.
According to Angie, besides
assisting with marketing, advertising,
and public education, PFGA also
offers its members bulk ordering of
plants, represents members at government,
and supports research at
Assiniboine Community College in
Brandon.
“We are often the connection
between restaurants and farmers,”
she added. “We also offer educational
resources to our members.”
One of those members is Frank’s
Place U-Pick outside Swan River.
Cathy and Bob Holland took over the
operation from Cathy’s father, Frank.
The operation has been going strong
for around three decades, selling
about 500 pails of saskatoons, raspberries
and strawberries annually.
Cathy says being part of the fruit
industry and belonging to PFGA gives
them support and education.
“Through PFGA, we get access to
plants and supplies, such as pails and
boxes, and when we can, we attend
workshops that are offered. There have
been workshops on pruning, pesticides,
straw removal, and other management
techniques,” she explained.
She says their distance from the
majority of their colleagues makes attendance
challenging, but they try because
they have found value in sharing ideas.
For most fruit growers, making
a living means diversification. The
Hollands both had off-farm jobs, until
Cathy retired from teaching this year.
Angie and Darren, in addition to running
the PFGA, also operate Cormier’s Berry
Patch at La Salle. Darren, too, works
off-farm.
With only a few weeks to make a
year’s living, many fruit growers consider
value-added activities as an option to
increase income, such as offering baked
goods in season and jam for sale.
“Our industry is growing,” explained
Angie. “We have growers who supply
local restaurants, chocolate makers, and
ice cream stores. This is all positive for
our industry.”
“Fruit growing is a viable farming
option,” said Philip Ronald of Riverbend
Orchards near Portage la Prairie. “You
need to a have a location near a viable
market – for us that’s Winnipeg. You
also need a good location in terms of soil
type, and we have good soil here. We also
have shelter and access to water.”
His customers can purchase
saskatoons, haskap, sour cherry, and
gooseberries. The farm also has fruit
FEATURE KAP COMMODITY GROUP
22 § Manitoba Farmers’ Voice § Fall 2019