Robert & Audrey and Daniel & Carrie Childs  Top of Cooper Hill Road, Humphrey Township, Hinsdale, New York  14743  716-557-2529 Farm Phone  E: ChildsBlueberry@aol.com 

About us...(to read about blueberries instead of "us", go to the "home" page

We started selling blueberries from our Humphrey Farm out of our home by the pound via East Aurora Pennysaver ads and door to door in the 70's. We joined the East Aurora Farmers Market in the early 80's and have expanded from there. For details about the journey, read below. Thanks for visiting. 

Flashback to 1987 below

Bob & Audrey Childs and Daniel & Carrie Childs

Bob Childs--Bio: Bob entered the army at age 17 and served as a radio man in Korea during that war. He was part of the group of soldiers that forged through N. Korea up to the Chosen Reservoir where the Chinese flooded across the Korean border and entered the war forcing American troops to withdraw back to the beaches, ships and S. Korea. Bob was the middle weight Golden Gloves boxing champion. After Korea, he spent two weeks in Japan and then was shipped to Nevada where he donned a radioactivity badge and "invaded" 17 nuclear blasts before his badge indicated he had absorbed enough radioactivity to be discharged. The idea was to blow up a nuclear bomb in the desert either underground or on platforms and then the soldiers tried to navigate to a destination or target using a Geiger counter. It was deemed that nuclear bombs could not be used as tactical weapons as a result of these tests. Bob, at age 76, feels he was lucky because he got to hold the Geiger counter whereas most of the men did not and perhaps that is why he has not noticeably suffered from the 17 different nuclear blasts that went off less than 1/2 a mile from his location or maybe it is all the blueberries he eats and blueberry wine he drinks. Thanks to the GI bill, Bob was able to be the first of his family to go to college graduating from Erie Community College with a degree in Electricity. Married August 7, 1953 to Audrey Thompson, Bob went to work at A T & T. His friends were making three times that at Bethlehem Steel but Bob felt the phone company had a better future. Audrey worked as a secretary at the same time. In 1960, Bob planted his first blueberries in his backyard in S. Buffalo. Audrey and Bob decided to buy land in the Southern Tier and purchased 54 acres where they planted 20 more blueberries. In 1975, on a new parcel of land, Bob and Audrey planted 500 more blueberries and declared he would someday retire and sell blueberries. Audrey was rather skeptical but had faith and indeed, in 1983, Bob did take an early retirement and became a full time blueberry farmer. How exciting when they sold 50 pounds of blueberries at the East Aurora Farmers Market generating $175 in sales. Most customers knew standard fruits and vegetables but what were these little blue berries? "Can we eat them?" "What do you do with them?" Bob and Audrey printed little recipes for muffins and pie and handed them out at market. They tried to create a "blue" motif for their farmers market stand and dressed in matching clothes. Soon, they were selling over 200 pounds at East Aurora's Saturday market. In 1985, Bob and Audrey turned the East Aurora market over to son Daniel and moved to new territory, North Tonawanda on Robinson St. off Colvin. This was a hucksters market, where much of the produce was bought and re-sold. Customers who knew the market knew which vendors were really "farmers" and grew what they sold. Bob and Audrey also expanded into the Downtown Buffalo market on Thursday. Now 22 years later, Bob and Audrey seldom make it past 11:00 a.m. before selling out and their sales have greatly multiplied. Indeed Bob's vision for direct marketing and growing top quality blueberries became a reality. Interesting that a product like blueberries that was not even sold in grocery stores in 1983, has since become a household fruit. Bob was a bit ahead of his time. In a book published on growing blueberries the acknowledgements lists many doctors of agriculture and then Bob Childs, grower. He is very proud to be included in that list for his practical, real world knowledge of blueberries and blueberry farming.

Audrey retired from the East Aurora school system in 1983. She worked as a cafeteria monitor and teachers aide. Audrey test marketed blueberries in the early 70's by sending her kids door to door with berries and also by placing ads in the EA Pennysaver for pre-picked berries available by advanced order. Audrey works side by side with Bob at markets and at the farm. She has kept the fields mowed like a lawn for all these years and has never missed a market. 

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Dan Childs--Website, Grower and Market Representative

 

 

 

 

Daniel Childs--Daniel began marketing at an early age selling berries door to door in South Buffalo and then again in East Aurora. At age 10, Daniel planted summer squash and developed a route in East Aurora where he delivered the squash weekly by bike to customers and sold the surplus in front of the Loblaw's store or at the old railroad station, which ironically would become the future site of the early East Aurora Farmers Market. After 4 years of farming, Daniel expanded into firewood and by age 16 sold 20 cord split, stacked and delivered. All was accomplished with much help from parents Bob and Audrey. Daniel graduated from Canisius College with a BS in Management in 1982 and successfully worked in direct sales and restaurant management before (in response to President Reagan's call for young enthusiastic private sector professionals to become teachers)  becoming a school teacher in 1984 and joining the fledgling Childs Blueberries business.  There are several new fields planted and it is a matter of time until the bushes grow large enough to be harvested. Daniel hopes to retire from teaching around 2020 and become a full time farmer. Daniel also has two Masters degrees; one in education and one in leadership.

 

                   Carrie Childs--Payroll and Market Representative.

Carrie Childs--Bio: Carrie grew up in Sanborn, NY and  graduated from Niagara Wheatfield, a member of the National Honor Society. She has worked for various companies as an administrative assistant, office manager, and Human Resources generalist.  She received certification as a Professional in Human Resources in 2003. Her years of experience in "corporate America" have served us well in the continuing growth of our family business.  She has been an asset to Daniel for the past eight years, helping out every Saturday at the East Aurora Market.  When they met in 1999, she claimed that she didn't like blueberries, but once she tasted a Childs blueberry, she became a convert.  Daniel & Carrie were married September 2, 2000.

Carrie was most recently elected Humphrey Town Supervisor.

Recently, a new market was opened in Williamsville and Carrie said to husband Dan, "if there is a new market opening in Williamsville, we want to be there". Daniel wisely listened to Carrie's sage advice and is doing very well at the new market. 

Daniel and Carrie's hobby is ballroom dancing for which they make much time during the blueberry off season. They have performed in several recitals and as their friend and dance teacher says, are really pros since slipping a two dollar bill into Daniel's pocket after the first show. "See, now that you have been paid, you are a professional!" :) 

 

                   

 Bob  Childs, Grower & Marketer; Audrey, Mower and Marketer; and granddaughter  Chelsea, U-Pick Representative. Photo 1998.

The Childs Blueberries Support Group aka friends.

2005

Friday Night Fish Fry after a busy week on the blueberry farm (from the turquoise shirt and moving right).  Bea Leveille-retired nurse and berry sorter. Audrey Childs-besides going to markets, and making syrups/jams, she keeps the fields mowed. Jerry Leveille-prime picker of the tiny "wild" berries sold in limited quantity. Peter Rebuelto minds the U-Pick and gift shop. Bob Childs-field maintenance and head honcho. Dan Childs-Second fiddle. Carrie Childs: Market rep and Payroll, Carmen Washburn: maker of the famous "Aunt Carmen's Homemade Sheet Pie" and chief berry sorter. Kay Rebuelto: berry sorter.

Miscellaneous

 

Cultivated "Wild" High Bush blueberries have been mostly abandoned by the large conglomerate farms because they are too tall and the machines won't pick them but we like them! These berries pictured here in early July are now full ripe and delicious!

The early variety of red raspberries.

 

Black Currants are completely sold out for 2007.

Red Currants are all picked and sold for the year. Watch for Currant Jelly...a real delight!

The sign says Childs Play but farming is no picnic! In the distance, one sees the hills of Pennsylvania.

Blaze running down the manicured fields with big, sweet, wonderful blueberries.

Close up of the berries in the picture above.

And closer yet.

The new bee hives protective fencing. Each of the panels is electrified and on the ground is metal roofing so if the bear touches the fence, he/she is well grounded for maximum shock!  We have had the hives destroyed twice in the last five years by bears that were captured from Allegany State Park and released in the hills by us. Thanks DEC :( Hopefully this fence works like Penn State says it will.

Manicured rows of pesticide free raspberries in the spring become a "catch crop" in the middle of the season for Japanese Beetles. The beetles prefer the raspberries to most anything else and so we spray Sevin pesticide (no harvesting for 7 days after application--which is no problem since there are no berries on the bushes at the time of application) on them and kill the beetles before most get to the blueberries. Once the blossoms start to form for the fall raspberry crop, the beetles have mostly gone and we stop the spraying because we would also kill the friendly honey bees pollinating the blossoms. The fall crop of raspberries then have no direct application of pesticide on the fruit. Catch Crops--another trick used to keep pesticides out of the blueberries! 

Weymouth is a delicious berry again abandoned by big farms but we think they are worth the extra trouble. These are first generation derivatives of the wild varieties used for genetic experimentation.

Dukes are a fabulous early berry. We took a chance and got some back in 91 through a trial program before they became available to most other growers. I liked the name...Duke...reminds me of John Wayne--big, sweet and lovable! 

 

See you at market or on the farm soon!

Daniel, Carrie, Audrey and Bob Childs

We pruned out a pile of blueberry cuttings the size of a small house.

The fields have been fertilized, weeded, mowed, mulched & the irrigation is repaired and ready for service. When we start at row one, by the time we go up and down each row and finish up at the last row of the field, we have traveled 2 miles.

The 8' fence kept the deer out this winter. Recall several years ago herds of deer were eating 6 pounds of blueberry buds each per night. This is like eating 15-30 pints per deer per night. It was recommended we shoot them,  put dogs out in the field using underground wire restraints or put this huge fence around the whole field. We opted for the fence.  

Bears kept destroying our bee hives which are essential for proper pollination. Penn State College has (hopefully) perfected a plan for keeping the bees safe from bears using electric fence panels, metal roofing on the ground and a solar powered electrical zapper. When the bear approaches the hives, it steps on the metal roofing and then touches the fence. Because of the grounding, it gets a "good" zap and leaves the bees alone...at least in theory. The next time a bear wanders through we will see.

Overall, we are looking at a banner crop.

ChildsBlueberries gratefully acknowledges all of those wonderful customers who have purchased cookbooks, made by Mr. Childs Personal Business Management class students, this season to benefit Roswell Cancer Research.