From left are Samantha Salzler, Chautauqua Opportunities for Development Inc., Christine McAllister from U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy’s office; Ginny Carlberg, owner of the Carlberg Farm, August Carlberg, son of the owners, Eric Carlberg, owner of Carlberg Farm; County Executive PJ Wendel, and Randy Holcomb representing state Sen. George Borrello.

Carlberg Farm Livestock and Produce officially opened a new produce stand with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Located at 1982 Peck-Settlement Road in Jamestown, Carlberg Farm is a full-time dairy farm operated by Ginny and Eric Carlberg. The farm began selling produce in 2019.

“We’ve always had a large garden and we had extra so we put it out on the road on a wagon to see what would happen,” Ginny Carlberg said. “We outgrew the wagon and wanted to offer more things than we could on the wagon. This includes a freezer for beef and pork, and eventually chicken later on. We have cheese and greens that we can now keep cool. We can now offer people the ability to accept credit cards, debit cards and SNAP.”

The Carlbergs offer typical produce such as strawberries, summer and winter squash, pumpkins, as well as unique items like tomatillos, rutabaga, sweet corn, a dozen varieties of peppers, beans, peas and potatoes. They have 5 acres of assorted produce, including half an acre of potatoes.

Besides produce, as a full-time dairy, Carlberg said they have learned hard work and are focused on teaching their kids the meaning of hard work while also expanding and growing their farm and what they offer to the community.

The Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new produce stand. The Carlberg’s new stand is in an old granary barn that the family is working to preserve and keep standing for years to come.

The opening event began with the ribbon cutting and Carlberg saying a few words. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. other vendors were open at the farm from other local farms and businesses that the Carlbergs partner with.

“We wanted to bring in other farms and businesses that we partner with to offer produce that we don’t do,” Carlberg said. “This includes cheese, maple syrup, different types of art, coffee samples, cheese samples, and homemade peanut butter. We want to show what we do and let people check out the new stand because we will have only been open for a few weeks.”

Carlberg said the new stand will allow the farm to expand and reach their eventual goal of a full service stand in a few years.

“There is a demand for locally grown produce,” Carlberg said. “I can’t believe the response we have had from the community. We have unique vegetables and crops and this includes our home grown strawberries. There are not many farms that offer strawberries in the area anymore.”

Another popular offering for the Carlbergs is their potatoes, which they sell in bulk. The hope is that the full service farm stand that they will eventually have will allow them to expand and reach more of the surrounding community.

“I anticipate that we will continue to grow, but I don’t know what the future holds,” Carlberg said. “We have young kids and they are not old enough to know if they will want to continue to farm when they are older. We want to offer more agritourism and you-pick options and school tours. We may outgrow the new stand as well, but this is a good stepping stone.”

Carlberg thanked her extended family for all of their help and the community.

“We have had customers that have been coming since day one,” Carlberg said. “They stop by and will buy things or say we’re doing a good job. It means so much to us, and that feedback is very rewarding.”