years ago, when the effects of inflation felt both on the farm and 

 in the supermarkets suddenly stimulated new awareness of its advan- 

 tages. Farmers seeking alternative crops to increase income, and 

 consumers searching for ways of stretching their food dollars, have 

 found it to be of mutual advantage and pick-your-ouTi is booming at 

 present. 



The greatest advantage of pick-your-own for the grower is elim- 

 ination of the problem of finding adequate harvest labor. Not all 

 labor is eliminated, however, since it is necessary to have super- 

 visory help in the field to direct parking, explain the rules, show 

 people where and how to pick, and to tally and collect the money. 

 The greatest problem is providing enough fruit to avoid disappoint- 

 ing customers, many of whom travel long distances to pick berries. 

 In addition to the obvious advantage to the customer of saving some 

 money, there are other advantages including quality and freshness 

 and for many urban dwellers, an outing in the country. Location 

 is not a problem. A recent survey indicated that 45% of pick-your- 

 own customers traveled 10 to 25 miles and that 20% traveled 25 to 

 50 miles. 



For the grower, there are other savings in addition to harvest 

 labor. The costs of baskets and shipping trays or crates are elim- 

 inated, along with shipping and selling costs. (Some growers even 

 make a profit on baskets sold to customers who come to pick without 

 containers.) In addition, the fields are picked clean. Pick-your- 

 own customers will pick small, deformed, cull berries that hired 

 pickers would not bother with and that most growers would not offer 

 for sale. 



Pick-your-own is not for every grower. Some would not allow 

 the public in to pick their berries under any circumstances. Ob- 

 viously, it is not for these growers. And, you have to like people 

 and enjoy dealing with the public to be successful. 



The first requirement in a pick-your-own operation is parking 

 facilities as close to the fields as possible. On busy days, a 

 person to direct traffic helps to get the customers in and out 

 quickly. Separate entrance and exit roads help to keep traffic 

 flowing smoothly. Some growers provide transportation to and from 

 fields located a distance from the parking area. 



Most growers do not allow small children into the fields and 

 some provide playgrounds to keep children occupied. Sheep, goats, 

 ducks and other animals are also desirable to attract the attention 

 of children. 



Wider aisles between beds for walking and picking are desir- 

 able for pick-your-own customers, who are not accustomed to the nar- 

 row aisles with rows spaced 3-1/2 feet apart. A spacing of 4-1/2 

 or 5 feet would allow more room. Easy picking varieties, such as 



