Berry Hill Farm’s new owners, Adam and Carissa Davenport, closed out a successful first blueberry season this past weekend.
The blueberry harvest this year was “good and manageable,” said Carissa, noting that last year’s drought made this year’s harvest slightly smaller and easier for them to learn the business. (This summer’s rains mean that next year should be larger!)
While learning the ins-and-outs of perennial crop care and harvesting, the Davenports also became acquainted with the property as a whole.
Cows were selected as a management tool to graze the sweet summer grasses and add nutrients back into the fields, rather than haying and spraying. The north field is laid out for elderberry bushes, an integral part of their value-added business Town Farm Tonics. Now that the berry picking season is complete, there will be time to begin management of the phragmites in the historic farm pond and to develop raptor habitat to naturally discourage birds from eating the blueberries.
With the generous support of a lead foundation, many families in the community, and the Town of Westport, WLCT purchased Berry Hill Farm in 2022. In April of 2023, the farm was resold to the Davenports, preserving the land as farmland and providing for the next generation of Westport farm families.
Preserving Westport’s working farms, and making it possible for young farmers to live and work in our community, is a vital component of WLCT’s mission. This work is only possible with your support. Thank you!
