Blue Vista Farm | Bayfield, WI |
715-779-5400
About us...
How to Find Us:
Blue Vista Farm is located outside of beautiful Bayfield, Wisconsin.
Our farm is on the corner of County Highway J and Hatchery Road just 2
miles south of Bayfield overlooking Lake Superior.
Eric
Carlson and Ellen Kwiatkowski owners of Blue Vista Farm.
Our Goal
Our goal at Blue Vista Farm is to provide
sustainably grown, high quality fruits and flowers and a
wholesome,
beautiful setting for people to enjoy. It is our desire that visitors
to this land have a Blue Vista Farm experience
where the beauty, abundance and harmony of the farm is both seen and
felt.
Something unexplainable comes together in this spot to create an
unforgettable experience. Over and over again, customers tell us that
when they are here they feel like they are in heaven or in a heavenly
place. We agree and consider ourselves very privileged to be the
caretakers of this land. At Blue Vista Farm, we want to share this
experience with you.
Return to top of page
Compost for our fields.
Our Philosophy and Methods
Our farming philosophy includes treading as
lightly upon the earth as we possibly can while providing high quality
fruits and flowers. Nature is very important to us; the gifts of our
environment fill us with wonder and awe and we try to reflect that in
our
farming. We strive toward producing crops that are safe to consume
while using production techniques safe for the environment. We utilize
techniques such as composting, green manures, and natural organic
fertilizers for our plantings to promote healthy, rich soil. We also
use the latest technology in monitoring for insects and disease pests
to help reduce chemical sprays so that we only use them when absolutely
necessary, if at all.
Return to top of page
Organic Blueberries
We implement 100% organic production techniques
certified by MOSA
and are the largest producer of certified organic blueberries in the
state of Wisconsin.
Conventional Blueberries
The main difference between our organic
blueberries and our conventional blueberries is the use of herbicide
(applied in early spring) to control weeds in the direct vicinity of
the bushes. Pesticides used are certified organic and not applied to
ripening fruit.
Raspberries
All of our plantings are caned annually to
reduce
disease incidence and spray requirements, while increasing fruit size
and quality. We monitor our plantings daily and only apply sprays when
pest levels are high enough to have a serious economic impact and even
then, only well before fruit maturity. We do not apply fungicides or
insecticides during the harvest season.
Flowers
In addition to adding compost, we rotate fallow
areas with green manures in order to increase vibrancy of the soil
environment. All flowers are hand weeded, no herbicides are used.
Eco-Apples
Many of our apple varieties are resistant to a
major disease of apples called apple scab and so require no fungicides
at all which represents up to a 60% reduction in sprays. We are also
part of the Wisconsin Eco-Apple Project, through the Center for
Integrated Agricultural Systems at UW-Madison. The Eco-Apple Project
networks apple growers to work together at using Integrated Pest
Management and reduce pesticide risk. For more information about
Wisconsin's Eco-Apple Project and Integrated Pest Management visit www.thinkipm.org/apples.
Our Farmland is Protected
During these days of burgeoning large scale
factory farms, the small, sustainable local farms are becoming more and
more of a rarity. Because we firmly believe that small farms and
locally produced food are critical for the ecological, economic, and
personal health and viability of our communities, we have sold the
development rights to our farm to the Bayfield
Regional Conservancy and the Town
of Bayfield, resulting in a place that is permanently protected
from development. Blue Vista Farm will always be a farm.
Return to top of page
History
Many years ago the land that is now Blue Vista
Farm was a mature hemlock and white pine forest. Around the turn of the
century, a family by the name of Turnquist bought the land, cleared it
and turned it into one of the larger dairies in the area. Shortly
after, circa 1910, they hired area craftsmen to build the barn using
local raw materials: field stone, mortar and big timbers. The barn
became then, and still is now, a local landmark and gathering place.
Cattle and milk raised on the farm were transported into Bayfield by
horse and cart (and sled in winter) and sold through the Turnquist's
grocery across from the candy store. The last livestock set hoof in the
barn in the mid-1950s, but the field continued to be hayed and kept
clear by the Leafblad family until 1989 when we purchased the forty
from them.
Since 1990, we have planted six acres of blueberries, five
acres of raspberries, two acres of flowers and over 1,500 apple trees.
The health of the land and all its four-legged and winged residents is
very important to us, and since its inception the orchards and flower
fields have been managed sustainably, utilizing methods that are soft
on the land and always replenishing the earth for what it gives. Our
orchards were designed with customer health and picking comfort in
mind. Laura's flower gardens were created for the pleasure of our
customers and to alight all of the senses by through the use of
fragrant herbs, a host of diverse textures and many unique flowers.
But this land is more than just fruit and flower plantings, a beautiful
old barn and remarkable view. Something unexplainable comes together in
this spot to create and unforgettable experience. Over and over again,
customers tell us that they feel like they are in heaven and we feel
that way as well. We consider ourselves privileged to be caretakers of
this land and we want to share it with you.
Return to top of page
