We have been raising strawberries for over 25 years. During that time, we continuously work to educate ourselves on all aspects of the growing and caretaking of the crop.

The problem:

We have been fighting a root disease, black root rot, in our strawberries. This disease takes strong, healthy plants and reduces them to a black, shriveled stub of a plant. There is no cure, except to rotate out of strawberries in the affected fields for 5-7 years.

The disease had gotten so devastating that by the end of our 2023 season, we did not know if we would be able to continue growing strawberries at all.

Courtesy Photo AJ, Amy, Remington, Rebekah, Morgan, Teagan, and Nora MacArthur gather for a family photo. The MacArthurs own and operate AJ’s Berry Farm in Lachine.

As many people know, strawberries are our identity and the core of what we do. They have provided for our growing family over the years. AJ has spent all of his adult life (since the age of 15) researching how to grow them and then learning how to do it better. Perfecting the timing of various inputs from pest control to frost protection and finding the varieties compatible with our climate and growing market.

We were driven to our knees. We prayed for God to heal our soil. We prayed for direction and discernment. If His answer was “no,” what direction were we to pursue? How do you change your source of income after 25 years?

Time and again, we were reminded of our dependence on God to grow a crop. We can physically put together all of the “ingredients” necessary for a harvest. Preparing the ground, water, plants, frost protection, fertilizer, weeding, etc., but it is not in our power to make the plants produce more blossoms or to turn those into fruit. Soil diseases are long lasting because they have “seeds” that last for years or even decades in the soil. We rotate crops, plant cover crops, use lots of compost, and work to make sure the soil minerals stay in balance for optimal growing. Fumigation is one way to eradicate pests and problems, but has lots of side effects that can be just as problematic.

The solution:

One of our neighbors was aware of our struggle and graciously loaned us a field, giving us fresh, virgin soil to grow strawberries in. This greatly relieved the pressure on our fields, giving them a much-needed reprieve.

Courtesy Photo AJ’s Berry Farm Store is seen in Lachine.

The 2024 strawberry harvest season brought the challenges of excessive heat and seven inches of rain during our harvest window. That was not at all ideal. Despite all of that, we were very blessed with our harvest. The plants produced an abundant crop that we were all able to enjoy.

As we think back over our season, it is with profoundly thankful hearts as we see the many blessings and God providing a bountiful harvest and answered prayers with good neighbors and new soil.

Growing strawberries is our way of life, our identity. We want to educate our consumers because things we assume are common knowledge are often eye-opening.

We have hope that we will be able to continue producing strawberries for our community, and we thank you for supporting all that we do.

Much love,

AJ, Amy, and girls

AJ and Amy MacArthur and their daughters own AJ’s Berry Farm in Lachine, 15 miles west of Alpena on M-32. The farm is a fun, family-friendly place where they grow strawberries, saskatoons, raspberries, pumpkins, and a variety of squashes for U-Pick. During the summer, you can stop in the farm store to purchase local Michigan fruits, fresh farm-made maple syrup, Dreyer Hill Honey, jams made on the farm, and artisan baked goods. In the autumn months, they offer field trips for local schools and provide family-fun hayrides, a corn maze, and a pumpkin-launching show. AJ’s Berry Farm is a local gem and a place even out-of-towners will remember when they hear someone talking about Alpena.