This Caroline County, Va., farm has faced hail twice in the past 20 years. In each case, the family not only persevered but has grown since each storm. "In 2007, hail took out our entire strawberry crop," said Mary West. "It took us five years to pull out of the devastation. We focused on other crops."
"Another hail storm in 2022 hit just as most of our pepper plants had just produced," she continued. "The hail touched almost every crop, some more so than others. The storm set us behind about a month." Mary and her husband, Ken, are the owners of Mt. Olympus Berry Farm. Their daughter, Emily, is taking on a more active role at the farm, according to Mary. Their son, Ben, lives on the farm and is involved in information technology work.
The Wests grow several varieties of watermelons, including Sugar Baby dark green oval watermelons, Cracker Jack red seedless watermelons, and Estrella (the oblong "regular") watermelons, among other varieties. The Estrella watermelons serve as the pollinators for the seedless varieties.
In addition to watermelons, the Wests grow a wide range of fruits and vegetables. "In 1992-93, we expanded into strawberries and blackberries," she continued. "Each year we added more acres of vegetables."
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