WHATELY — On Thursday evening around 8 p.m., pastel hues streaked the eastern sky, softening a blazing sun, casting pale light onto the blueberry bushes of Sobieski’s River Valley Farm.
“I’ve always been drawn to it,” said Robert Sobieski, manager of the farm, “I wanted to go off, do the college thing, but it kept calling me back. It’s in my blood.”
The farm on River Road has been in the family since the late 1970s when Sobieski’s father, Fran Sobieski, planted the first bush in 1977, the year Robert was born.
Along with selling berries by the pound during a pick-your-own season, the farm has a stand by the road and sells wholesale across New England. In the Pioneer Valley, stores that sell Sobieski’s blueberries, include Atkins Farm in Amherst, River Valley Co-op in Northampton, and Green Fields Market in Greenfield.
After a career in the Coast Guard and a degree from the University of Massachusetts in environmental science and natural resources, Sobieski took over and has been managing the farm’s 12 acres of land, roughly 12,000 blueberry bushes, and 12 varieties of blueberries, ever since.
“There’s a lot of challenges,” he said, while standing amid the bushes. “These are 39 years old, most of them.”
The challenges, he continued, include protecting the plants from various diseases, voles (that eat the plants’ roots), birds, insects and nature. Maintaining the health of the plants is a ‘round-the-clock, 365-day task.
Skobieski’s wife, Brieta, 4-year-old son, Rogan, and other family members, also help out on the farm.
Buds from the next year’s blueberry crop start forming in the fall; for Sobieski, formation of buds means weed control and pruning — even during the winter.
“Whether the snow is above my knees, or there’s no snow at all,” the blueberry farmer said, pruning doesn’t wait for the weather.
According to Sobieski, cutting back the plants encourages new growth, generates air flow and reduces disease.
In the spring, the bushes need to be fertilized and sprayed for fungal diseases. Sobieski said he uses minimal pesticides, and when he does spray, he uses reduced risk or organic substances.
During the third week of June, the early varieties begin to ripen. Workers pick blueberries for wholesale by hand, so the berries aren’t crushed.
Starting on the Fourth of July and continuing through October, the farm is open for picking.
For many local residents, picking blueberries at Sobieski’s River Valley Farm is a tradition, passed down through generations.
“They’re delicious! Sweet. I used to pick years ago when I was younger,” said Jane Jankowski, who stopped by the farm’s roadside stand to pick up a few pints of blueberries. “Now I don’t pick anymore.”
Jankowski said she has been coming to the farm in Whately for about 25 years.
“Sometimes people pull up and ask ‘where are we picking today?’” said Mary Jane Soule, who was running the farm stand Thursday. “They don’t even get out of their cars. They drive right up to the spot, and have their own pails.”
For others, such as Ed Roseman, it was the first time experiencing Sobieski’s blueberries. Roseman said he stopped by the stand to support local agriculture.
“Farm stands rock,” he said, “and it’s so wonderful we have them.”
The farm stand also offers other vegetables and fruit such as raspberries, squash, and cucumbers.
Irwin and Martha Spiegelman, a couple from Amherst who were picking blueberries Thursday, said their picking strategy is to find a bush they like and pick it clean.
“This is a good bush,” said Martha Spiegelman, “and we’ve picked most of them.”
She said this is the second time they’ve come this year, and have been coming annually for about six years.
“When I end, I always get a nice handful and I eat,” she demonstrated, grabbing and eating a handful of berries. “I hope they have a nice, long season this year.”
Blueberries produced by each plant have a distinct sweetness: one bush might create fruit that’s tart, exploding with flavor; berries with a gentle, sweet taste might cluster on another.
This year, Sobieski said he’s been battling drought and a fending off a large flock of starlings that are eating the blueberries.
“Because of that, I’m thinking about netting,” he said. “Maybe an acre at a time, it’s too much to do all at once.”
Although it’s rewarding, Skobieski said running a blueberry farm comes with a lot of challenges.
“Farming can be difficult at times, as all farmers in the area know and understand,” he said, while picking damaged berries off a plant. “We’re fighting against nature.”
Eventually, Skobieski said, he’d like to eventually be able to pass the farm on to his son, who is already helping out by putting together boxes for wholesale.
“I really appreciate people who support local agriculture,” he said. “We rely on it.”
The farm is open for picking from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.