Transcript
GERALDO REID: At Vollmer Farm, crops are out in full display in and outside the greenhouses where customers shop and enjoy the scenic beauty. Dave Vollmer, the owner of Vollmer Farm is the fourth generation owner in a family that has operated it since 1925. As the summer period arrives, he describes this time of year in one word.
DAVE VOLLMER: Nerve-wrecking
GERALDO REID: He has spent time preparing for when the weather is promising to start selling his crops. He says the climate is an important factor in his farming and how it plays a part in being worried sometimes.
DAVE VOLLMER: You’re just so dependent on weather. Yeah, really, the biggest thing. It’s just pressure because it’s your, you know, it’s your livelihood and you need a product to put out to sell.
GERALDO REID: For shoppers that shop at farmer’s markets or business’s like Vollmer Farm, the summer season is well anticipated as it means fresh produce and a colorful sight. For a few customer’s crops signify the beginning of the season while for other’s it’s a family moment.
MARGARET MCCORMACK: I’m starting with flowers, and I’ll keep track on other things that grow throughout the season and be stopping here regularly.
JOHN SMITH: There’s something about, you know, catches your eye and lift your spirits. Right. Every time we we love —
CAROLYN SMITH: I love flowers. I never could have too much.
GERALDO REID: Local meteorologist Jim Teske works at News Channel 9. He says though the summer seems like a promising time, weather conditions may affect them.
JIM TESKE: Farmers experience a wide range of things here in the summer that can impact them in terms of their crops. Heat in combination with dry weather, would impact, you know, how well the crops do in the summer time.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – As the time warms up and people begin to come outdoors, they’ll be greeted with the scenic view of leaves growing on trees in their different colors. For farmers and people who shop at local farms or the farmers market, they will be looking to take advantage of the limited time for their favorite crops.
Dave Vollmer owns Vollmer Farm where he sells crops during the summer months when nature allows him to do so. During the winter months, he prepares and cultivates his crops on his farm which has over 20 greenhouses to get him ready for the summer rush of yearning shoppers.
He describes this time of year as “nerve-wrecking.”
Though the summer weather fills him with great pride, he is weary of the weather and its sheer unpredictability.
“You’re just so dependent on weather,” Vollmer said. “Yeah. really the biggest thing. It’s just pressure because it’s your, you know, it’s your livelihood and you need a product to put out to sell.”
For local shoppers however, the warm weather spells excitement for their personal hobbies and longing for fruits that can be cultivated from this weather. After months of farmers markets and local farms being closed, the anticipation is great. The summer marks a beginning of a new chapter in the year.
Margaret McCormack began her warm weather tour with some crops at Vollmer Farm and will continue being a familiar face.
“I’m starting with flowers, and I’ll keep track on other things that grow throughout the season and be stopping here regularly,” said McCormack.
For other’s, shopping at the farm is a family bonding experience that rolls back the years. Mother and son, Carolyn and John Smith are frequent customers. The summertime is a season of upliftment.
“There’s something about, you know, catches your eye and lift your spirits,” said John.
“I love flowers. I never could have too much,” Carolyn added.