At the foot of Fancy Gap Mountain lies one of the oldest farms in the Blue Ridge Region. In 1852, Valentine Leonard moved his family 65 miles north from Lexington, NC, to the rolling hills of Cana, Virginia. Seven generations later, the family orchard is still producing fruit. These days the farm is run by Ricky and Kerry Berrier and their daughter Lindsey.

Back in the 1800s, Great-great-grandpa Valentine would peddle apples for one dollar a barrel from Cana to Lexington as part of his subsistence farming career. He would then return with his hard earned money to buy an acre of land, slowly increasing his farm’s acreage for his family to pass down over the many generations.

The 1960s and '70s brought a turn in the production of Berrier Farms. With the purchase of their first tractor and the construction of a pack house to sort and grade their fruit, the Berriers were able to expand their orchard to 25,000 trees, a number likely unimaginable to founder Valentine. Today, the orchard focuses on growing apples and peaches. They also produce some of the area's most prized fruit -- local cherries.

The Berriers have been challenged by changing weather patterns and the constant battle with fruit diseases. Although Ricky believes that sprays create more resistance in disease strains and insects, therefore exacerbating the problems overtime, he says, “It is not economically feasible for us to be an organic fruit grower in this area.” Increased average temperatures and unexpected rainfall that encourage fungus and blights to thrive are the bane of the orchard’s existence.

Despite problems endemic to fruit production, continuing the family business seems to run in the Berrier blood. “I decided I wanted to help Dad when I was 8 years old,” says Lindsey, Ricky’s right hand assistant. As the seventh generation of fruit growers in the Berrier family, she is learning the skills passed down from her grandparents to ensure the continuing supply of scrumptious Berrier fruit for us to enjoy.

Find hours and updates about Berrier Farms on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BerrierFarmsInc.