Gary Cranes U-Pick

It is becoming more of a rarity as small fruit farms are continually going out of business at alarming rates. To find a small, working farm much less one that welcomes the public is rare indeed. But welcome the public we do. We understand completely the importance of our u-pick clientele. Without them, we could not continue farming. Offering u-pick is the only way we can get a fair price for the quality fruit we produce. The Crane Farm was purchased in 1936 by Albert and Letha Crane from John and Bessie Whitbeck. Albert was on winter break from Michigan State University when his father, Henry Blakeslee Crane, suggested he purchase the farm. Albert and Letha agreed and, with the help of Blakeslee and Muriel Crane, bought the farm with no down payment and a monthly payment of $10.00. At the time, Albert worked for his father for a salary of $10.00 per week and his wife, Letha, worked as a secretary for Michigan Fruit Canners for a salary of $17.00 per week. Michigan Fruit Canners still operates today only known as Agrilink Foods. Albert and Letha started reconstructing the farm by clearing the land of most of the old fruit trees which were planted in the 1860's. These plantings included large orchards of Quince, a golden, hard apple-shaped fruit used in making jelly and preserves, and Golden Delicious apples. They resculpted the land with a bulldozer and dynamite and started planting apple, cherry and peach trees along with blueberry bushes. They also experimented with asparagus which never really became a lucrative crop for them. However, to this day, asparagus grows in all the older orchards remaining on the farm, and we enjoy fresh picked asparagus every Spring. In 1948, a man named Luther Brock happened by and applied for a job. Albert's earth moving business was starting to take off so Luther was hired. Luther lived and worked on the farm as manager and overseer for twenty-three years. He made decisions on how most of the farm tasks would be completed. He was aided by John Stover whom Albert and Letha hired as a spray consultant. In 1970, Cranes U-Pick was started by Albert and Letha and was managed by Letha until 1973 when they sold the farm to Albert's younger brother, Robert Fenn Crane Sr., and it became part of Crane Orchards. A few years later, Robert began to feel the rigors of farming -- the long, grueling hours of trying to plant, spray, trim, harvest and market the fruit from 300 acres.