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Barnyard Berries offers a new ‘U-Pick’ experience

Barnyard Berries, a local “U-Pick” berry farm, opened this August in Huntington. Featured (from left) are the local owners and operators, Adam, Chloe, Jason and Candice Couch.
Barnyard Berries, a local “U-Pick” berry farm, opened this August in Huntington. Featured (from left) are the local owners and operators, Adam, Chloe, Jason and Candice Couch. Photo by Katelynn Farley

Huntington County is now home to a new “U-Pick” experience, thanks to the new business venture of a local couple and their children.

In August, Adam and Candice Couch, along with their children Jason and Chloe Couch, officially opened a “U-Pick” berry farm, “Barnyard Berries.” The farm is a “U-Pick” with a twist – rather than having the berries planted on the ground and having pickers kneel or bend down to pick their berries, they are on raised benches – meaning that they are more easily accessible to more parties.

Candice says that the venture began in the spring of 2020, when COVID-19 first started shutting things down.

“We love to grow things, and came across this system in the spring of 2020,” Candice says. “We originally planned on just planting enough for ourselves as more of a backyard garden. After more conversation, we thought it might be fun to install on a larger scale in order to bring fresh fruit to our community.”

Adam has lived in Huntington County his entire life, growing up just half a mile away from where the berry farm is located. The farm actually sits on the same land that Adam’s great-grandparents, Everett and Myrtle Couch, used to raise strawberries on. Adam and Candice’s children are now the fifth generation to farm that land.

Currently, Barnyard Berries offers strawberries and red raspberries, but there are blackberries planted that will be ready to produce fruit in two years. There is also some fall décor available for purchase, such as glass gem Indian corn, small pumpkins and gourds. The glass gem Indian corn is harvested and shucked by the children. They also offer ear corn for squirrels and shelled corn for deer.

The farm, which is located at 4415W-300S, Huntington, is open 2-3 days a week and hours are posted to the Barnyard Berries Facebook Page. There is also a phone number that interested patrons can call to hear the next pick dates and times, which is 355-7160.

Days and times do vary due to weather conditions and berry availability. The farm will be open until frost this year, and will then re-open in the spring for several weeks and again in the late summer or early fall.