About Us – Spectrum Farm Strawberries

Our Approach

We use no insecticides, fungicides or convention fertilizers. Our weed control consists of a small flock of Geese that we use to keep down grasses in the strawberry field and a small legion of dedicated workers that scour the fields for invading weeds.

Our crop rotation is fairly unique in that we plant strawberries in year one, tend them all summer and then cover them with straw for the winter. In year two we uncover the strawberries and coax them to produce the beautiful berries that are usually ready in early July. After picking season we plow those fields under and plant a cover crop. This allows the field to rest and brings new organic matter into the field for when we plant again in two or three years.

Since we don’t rely on synthetic pesticides we have to control our insect population through cultural practices. The main way we do this is to deny the “bad” critters a place to call home. It usually takes a couple of years for crop pests to get established and by destroying their home so they can’t reproduce enough to cause us problems.

Our Story

We have been engaged in sustainable farming for over twenty years. Several miles from the strawberry field, we produce chicken pork eggs beef maple syrup honey. We have been a certified organic farm since 2013. In 2017 we purchased 40 acres of Finke’s Berry Farm when they retired. The Finke’s have been a Carlton County tradition for over thirty years and they have perfected the art of growing Strawberries in a respectful and sustainable way. We are working closely with the Finke’s to make sure that we continue their tradition in the manner that their loyal customers have come to expect.