Party first, then picking

PANDORA — Jerry and Nancy Suter celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a crew of high school and college students from around the Putnam County area. The party — which also included a 5-pound box of Dietsch Brothers chocolates — was held early last Saturday. Jerry, who came up with the surprise party for his wife, said the years has gone by quickly. "I know there's a lot of old people that say, where did the time go? Now I'm saying, where did the time go?" he laughed. The couple met as freshmen at Bluffton College where they both earned math degrees. They were married June 1975 and became the parents of four children. The Suters also have eight grandchildren — four of whom were in the field picking strawberries Thursday. "We had everybody there (at the party) and made the announcement. And we had the 5-pound box of Dietsch chocolate and passed that around, so the kids were all happy," he said. Nancy was surprised. "We got there and some other relatives were coming and 40 strawberry pickers were there. We had a nice group," he said. "So we had the party and then at 6 o'clock, we went out to pick berries." The berries were headed for Suter's red barn markets in Findlay, Lima, Ottawa, Bluffton and Wapakoneta. "We wanted to share our anniversary with our family. Our second family is all our high school and college students, and they mean so much to us," said Jerry. "We love spending time with them and we get to know them very well." Four generations of Suters have operated the family business since Jerry's grandfather, Harry Suter, started the venture in 1930. The farm at 12200 Pandora Road is now operated by Jerry and Nancy, and their son, Tom Suter, who designs the corn maze each year. "I asked my dad if I could farm with him and he said yes. He was happy and I was happy," said Jerry. "Now my son, Tom, he asked to farm with me and I said, oh, that would be wonderful. I think it's every farmer's dream to have his children work with him." About 80 seasonal positions are filled by students who pick fresh strawberries and run the red barns where fresh produce is sold Monday through Saturday. Jerry said they arrive at the fields at 5:45 a.m. and start picking by 6, rain or shine. "Do you see any goofing around? Aren't they the best kids?," he said. "All these students are my pride and joy." They meet on the job and become friends, he said. A few have even gotten married. Sweet corn starts in July. In the fall, the students work the corn maze. They make doughnuts and cider and help visitors pick flowers and pumpkins. "They learn how to work and they get paid and they're happy," Jerry said. "They're working their way for college money or maybe gas for the car and whatever." Kyle lhamon attended Bath High School then studied criminology at Ohio State University. He started working at Suter's Produce nine years ago at 19, after his first year in college. "The job has its perks," he said. "You meet different types of people, interesting people, whether it's good or bad." According to Jerry, Kyle knows how to do most everything associated with the operation. He makes cider, drives the trucks and works at the red barn stands. "He's always got a good, positive outlook, too," Jerry added. "He sees the fun in stuff." This year's staff also includes Jordan Schweingruber, who is in her fifth year as an employee. "The hours are good. It's very flexible with my busy schedule and I just enjoy it honestly," the Bluffton High School graduate said. "I'm an early bird so it gives me something to do." She will attend Ohio State University in the fall and plans to study criminal justice. Her words of wisdom for the strawberry picking job? Try to grab as many berries as possible. The pickers crawl along the rows between the plants, plucking berries and quickly filling four-quart white plastic buckets. There's little talking as they focus on the task at hand. Jerry does his own taste test on the ruby red Jewel variety berry by pulling a piece of fruit from the vine and eating it. "You just eat them," he said. "That's how we test." Jerry said he learned the tricks of the trade from his dad, Gene Suter, who learned from his dad, Harry. "So we're approaching 100 years of doing the same thing," Jerry said. "We've learned from the previous generation, learned what worked and what didn't work. This works. So why complicate things?" About 10 acres of the farm are devoted to the strawberry crop, both the mature plants for picking and other areas that are being planted for next year. "Now someone who comes to the stand, would they be happy with that bucket?" he asked. "It will be at the stand at 9:30-10 a.m. So when they come up and look at that bucket, is that bucket fresh? They were just picked." When a bucket is full, the picker slips in a plastic tag with their name written on it. "Then we count these up and then they get paid by how many tags they picked," Jerry explained. Those who are more proficient at the task can fill a bucket in five to 10 minutes., he said. They place each filled bucket on the ground behind them and keep picking. Other workers will pick up the buckets and place them in the back of a white box truck that is destined for one of the red barns. Some pickers will fill 15 or 20 buckets in a morning. Others can do more, said Jerry. "If you can pick 20 in a morning times $5 a bucket, that's $100. So that's not a bad for three hours of work," he said. "Now they get wet. They get up early, but it's worth it." Tom's wife, Christie Suter, keeps track of all the workers and the schedule. "It's like a puzzle every week trying to figure out who can work and who can drive," she said. She's been helping on the farm since before the couple married in 2000. "The kids keep you young," Christie said. "They are hard workers." Pickers have gone on to become teachers, principals, superintendents, doctors and a surgeon. Jerry said one former employee even works for NASA.