It’s our Growing Up on the Farm feature focusing on Viaene Farms, a fresh vegetables producer. Gene and Brenda Viaene run the farm at 7753 Walkers Drive and they’re well known across the area for their strawberries and Christmas trees, but Gene Viaene says the family business started out on a different path.
Gene says his parents first bought the farm back in 1949 transitioning it into a tobacco farm. Gene and Brenda moved onto the farm in 1987 and became owners in 1992, and switched it over to what it currently produces.
The farm is able to grow strawberries from June until October and Christmas trees go on sale in mid-November. They also grow and sell asparagus, sweet corn, squash, cabbage and tomatoes and bring in apples, peaches, beans, apple cider, honey and jam to sell. They got started selling strawberries on the farm back in 2003 when their daughter came up with the idea and they’ve grown the farm so much since then. He was asked how tough it was to run a farming business when the majority of control belongs to mother nature.
Gene says the best advertising for them is the great taste of their strawberries but you can also find them on Facebook or call them at 519-719-9810.
Written by: C. Soares