Riverview Farm

by Nicole Zappone @TheChronicleCT

Along Crane Hill Road, a family works together to maintain the produce they grow. Mike Bergeron of Riverview Farm in Mansfield has been farming since he was a kid. “I used to work for a farm that used to grow here (on the current property) when I was a kid,” Bergeron said. “I started working for him when I was 12, and he lived across the street.” Bergeron would work for the farmer until he was 24, and he would start growing on the property where he is today, at 205 Crane Hill Road.

Mike Bergeron of Riverview Farm in Mansfield has been farming since he was a kid.

“I was growing up in Coventry for a long time, which is my home field where my parents live, ” Bergeron said. “A couple of years ago, we bought this place.”The land Bergeron owns for the farm is about 24 acres, including some wooded area.

A variety of vegetables, including cabbage, cucumbers, eggplant, green beans, kale and more, are grown on the property, along with watermelon, tomatoes and corn. The farm also has blueberries and fruit trees.

“I grew up on my parents’ farm in Coventry,” Bergeron said. “They weren’t farmers, but we just ate the food. We just grew for our family, but once I turned 13, I started working up here.” When the family in Coventry had extra food, the farmer in Mansfield, Bill Palmer, would buy it from them. “Bill would buy some stuff here and there from us,” Bergeron said. “It was just like a little business.”

Bergeron attended E.O. Smith High School for agriculture and later the University of Connecticut, earning a degree in horticulture. “My whole life has been about farming,” Bergeron said. “It didn’t become full-time until six years ago. Before that, I was a produce inspector for Whole Foods.” Bergeron said after a day of working at Whole Foods, he would pick his produce in the afternoon. During the wintertime, while there isn’t any growing, Bergeron continues his job as a produce inspector.

When it comes to farmers’ markets, Bergeron sells at Ellington, Coventry and Hartford North End. Planting for Bergeron will begin in another week, starting right in the greenhouse.

“We will start in the greenhouses, and I need to put one up,” Bergeron said. “It’s been so brutal that I haven’t done it up here. I go down to my buddy’s, and we start with 100,000 seeds in a day.”

When Bergeron was the head of produce at Whole Foods, he oversaw the distribution center that served all Whole Foods stores in the northeast, from Maryland to Maine. “We would take up all the produce for the 80 or 100 stores and then send it out to all of the stores,” Bergeron said.

At Riverview Farm, they also have a produce stand during the week from June through October. It is closed on weekends because Bergeron sells at the farmers’ market. Every Thursday, the farm offers a CSA plan with half- and full-share options. Half shares are 15 weeks, and full shares are 18 weeks.

“One cool thing, because not many of the farmers do it, I have it signed up where I can receive SNAP benefits,” Bergeron said. The SNAP benefits are also accepted at the farmers’ markets that he attends over the weekend.

“Some of the senior citizens don’t want to take their cars and go to farmers’ markets,” Bergeron said about having the stand at the farm. “My kids love it, and my wife loves it.”

For those interested in knowing more about Riverview Farm, email riverviewfarmcoventry@gmail.com.