Sunny forecast for Dutton’s Berry Farm

By Karen J. Irvine

One of the most significant food trends to emerge over the last two decades has been the increased demand for locally grown food products. Whether to insure quality, or to reduce carbon footprints, or simply to enjoy the freshest items available, consumers increasingly have been turning to small, local farms for staples like produce, breads, meat, eggs and dairy.

And the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has only accelerated the demand, as safety-conscious consumers look to shorten their supply chains and better understand the sources of their food. For Vermont and Vermont farmers, who have long been at the forefront of the local food movement, this increased interest brings both opportunity and challenge.

“While the pandemic has increased the demand for fresh local produce, it has simultaneously caused a labor shortage,” said Wendy Dutton of Dutton’s Berry Farm, a family-run business with three farm stands in Brattleboro, Manchester and Newfane. “Many of our older workers wanted to stay home (during the pandemic) and new hires aren’t interested now because they are getting so much from stimulus pay and unemployment.” As a result, she said, family members have put in additional hours to handle the uptick at the stores, which, in turn, has caused some backlogs elsewhere, like in the greenhouses.

With their lives more hectic due to an increased workload and less help, Wendy and her husband, Paul, who started the business in 1983, are thankful their business was considered an essential one, and therefore allowed to remain open for business during the quarantine. The couple, both native Vermonters, look forward to meeting the greater demand for their products and welcome the infusion of youthful energy and new skill sets that their children are bringing to the business.

Joseph Dutton, 26, is the most recent to join the business full-time after serving eight years in the Marine Corps. In that brief period before the pandemic, Joseph thought the biggest problems facing Dutton’s Berry Farm were the ongoing labor shortage and the flight of young Vermonters to more populated centers. Then the state mandated shutdown happened and the labor pool got even smaller forcing all the family members involved to increase their already stressed workload to an all new level.

“In the Marine Corp we learned to deal with stressful situations and that certainly helps during times of crisis like now,” said Joseph, who served as a sergeant for four years with several tours in Central America. Joseph also learned a thing or two from his parents, who set an example to him and his three siblings: to not let catastrophes throw them off course, but rather keep working straight through it; and an understanding that – especially in farming and retail business – you do not get to set the pace, your business and your customers set the pace. In addition to helping anywhere he is needed Joseph has been in charge of implementing the new website, not a job he said he particularly likes, but he recognizes the many benefits the internet and social media bring to a business.

Many Southern Vermont Arts & Living readers will recognize Joseph’s older brother, George, 30, who has tended the popular Dutton’s stand at Brattleboro Farmers’ Market. And those visiting the newly acquired greenhouse in Newfane will have had the pleasure of meeting Lily, 17, who is still in high school and works at the businesses when she can. Sam, 22, who followed in Joseph’s footsteps is enlisted in the Marine Corps and was most recently deployed in the Pacific. He has returned temporarily and is again helping out where he is needed. It is expected that Sam will join the family business when his military duty is up, however, Wendy assures that is Sam’s decision alone.

While the future looks bright for the Dutton’s Berry Farm the future of Vermont farms in general remains uncertain. According to a US census Vermont farms have seen a steady decline in the past two decades. In 1997 there were 7,063, farms and in 2017 that number decreased to 6,808.

The Dutton family farms 150 acres producing vegetables, berries, apples and they have a maple syrup operation. In the Fall cider is pressed fresh each week and delivered to all three stores. The bakery is a strong contributor to the business as well and a favorite among faithful customers and will remain so in the future, says Joseph. The majority of the jam making and the baking—breads, pies, cookies and donuts—happens in Newfane’s commercial kitchen. They also sell a variety of Vermont made products such as cheeses, dairy items, ice cream and grocery goods.

There are other benefits that the Dutton family has provided the community in addition to providing a haven to find great locally grown food fresh from the fields. In addition, the Duttons have made it one of their missions to place good, fresh healthy locally grown produce in schools and institutions through Food Connects, a not-for-profit food aggregator and delivery system that connects over 65 local farms and food producers with over 100 buyers in Southeast Vermont and Southwest New Hampshire. Another boon to the community they serve are the full and part-time jobs in either a healthy outdoor, or a more protected indoor, environment. The Duttons are always hiring!

However, the shrinking labor pool continues to be a threat to the farm’s ability to operate as efficiently as it has the potential to do so.

“Labor is a number one concern,” said Joseph. “It’s not an immediate crisis, it’s more of a cultural problem and it’s making the prospect of finding passionate, hard-working Americans difficult.” To address this challenge, Joseph believes that we need to change the cultural view of farm work in America.

Wendy and Joseph say that while the work is hard and the hours long, they find providing Southern Vermont residents with quality fresh produce a very rewarding experience. And what does Joseph, who is among the few young Vermonters returning to live and work, find most rewarding about Vermont? “The nightlife,” he joked. For leisure time Joseph enjoys mountain biking and rock climbing. “There is a major benefit to living in Vermont if you love outdoor sports like I do. The elevations are smaller but I am just minutes away from where I can enjoy these activities, whereas people in more populated areas have to travel hours to get to the mountains.”