Mike and Cathy Pullins didn’t plan to become Ohio’s berryambassadors, but customers, and life, had other ideas. From double lung transplants to black raspberries and family succession, the couple behind Champaign Berry Farm opens up about why more farmers should consider growing berries and how it might just be the perfect second career. In our interview they discuss:

• Berry crops as a high-value, small-acreage specialty suitable for diversified farms

• Labor seasonality and integrated weed management for perennial fruit systems

• Physiological resilience, aging farmers, and sustainable farm succession models

• Real-world examples of role delineation and adaptive management in family-run horticultural operations