Before berry plants stretched out across the fields of Blue Clay Berry Farm, a small herd of Holstein cattle made their home there at the Rudsinski family dairy farm for more than 40 years. The farm was owned and operated by Ralph and Virginia Rudsinski and their daughter, Ella. In 2010, Ralph and Virginia decided to sell their herd of cattle in order to enjoy some well-deserved rest in retirement. Ella had been pondering thoughts on ways to breathe new life into the farmstead that I held so dearly. Ella’s husband, Brad Kauer, and I had been learning about fruit and vegetable production and wondered if it might be a good fit for us. In the spring of 2013, we decided to jump in with both feet and planted 20,000 strawberry, and 700 blueberry plants! Now, the ground that was once a summer dairy cow pasture is filled with rows of plants that will hopefully produce a bountiful supply of sweet summer berries.