A History of Blueberry Farming in Michigan Told Through Personal Narrative

Abstract

There is no complete history of blueberry farming in Michigan, because the history is an oral tradition. As a result, pieces of history are lost with the loss of each pioneering farmer. Being a blueberry farmer myself, I want to be able to learn about and record this history so that I am more connected to the past, present, and future of blueberry farming. I have chosen to tell the history through a series of narrative interviews. Michigan blueberry farming is rich with colorful people and folklore, and my first objective is to bring this to light. No other method is able to show the content of a person's character as well as their own words, and there is always something beautiful about the language of someone in love with their work.