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Frequently Asked Questions
If your question is not addressed below, please feel free to reach out! We would love to chat!
"When are you open?"
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You can visit our family farm from 10am-5pm Wednesday-Sunday. U-Pick hours are 10am-4:30pm and The Scholls Valley Railroad runs daioy from10am-4:45pm. Please plan your visit to our farm accordingly to ensure that you have enough time to enjoy all of our activities!
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"Can I bring my dog/cat/horse with me to your farm?"
Due to food safety reasons, we are a pet-free farm environment. The only exception to this policy is for trained service animals.
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"Can I host a birthday party on your farm?"
You are welcome to come celebrate the occasion on our farm! We are not able to offer reserved picnic spaces or group rates but welcome small group celebrations. Please observe the following rules while celebrating on our farm:
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all children (14 and under) must be accompanied at all times while on our farm
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please do not bring balloons
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please haul your own trash (don't fill ours up with birthday party trash)
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we ask that you patronize our farm for treats for your party (kettle corn, pies, milkshakes, etc.)
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outside alcohol is prohibited on our farm
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please do not disrupt the normal flow of our farm for your party
These policies are subject to change at any time. Please be respectful of our farm, our business, and our other guests when planning and executing your celebration. If you have questions or would like to chat about your plans, please email us at hello@hoffmanfarmsstore.com.
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"How do I schedule a field trip to your farm?"
Summer - we do not host officially scheduled field trips during the summer at our farm. You are welcome to bring your group for berry picking and a train ride, but we are unable to offer reserved picnic space. When you check in at the u-pick silo, you can request a $5/person plastic clamshell that will allow your group to pick a small box at a flat rate price. Otherwise, the regular u-pick containers are available for you to use. If you have a large group coming with school bus turnaround, please email us as a courtesy to give us a heads up with 7 days notice: hello@hoffmanfarmsstore.com.
Fall - check out our field trip page after August 5th for Fall 2024 information.
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"Can I reserve a picnic table?"
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All of our picnic spaces are first-come, first-serve but we have plenty of tables, chairs, benches, haybales and grass to sit on.
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"Do you offer group rates for your activities?"
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We do not offer group rates for our attractions at this time. During the month of August, we sell our 5/$20 train passes.
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"I'd like to host a large group or corporate event at your farm. What's the procedure?"
If you'd like to rent our barn for a fully private event, please visit www.butlerbarn.com and submit an event inquiry.
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For large group or corporate visits to Hoffman Farms Store that include berry picking, train rides, or food truck coordination, please email us at events@hoffmanfarmsstore.com to discuss the details of your event.
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"What forms of payment can you accept at Hoffman Farms Store?"
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We are able to accept debit/credit cards as well as apple pay. Our farm is registered to accept the Farm Direct Nutrition Program vouchers, but we are unable to accept SNAP or EBT as a form of payment. Please email us at hello@hoffmanfarmsstore.com if you have any questions or concerns.
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"Can I take professional photos on your farm?"
We love hosting photographers and photo sessions on our farm. All booking for photography is handled through our wedding and event venue. Please visit The Butler Barn to fill out an inquiry and someone from our team will get you scheduled!
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"Can I fly my drone on your farm?"
No, unfortunately we are unable to allow drone flight over our fields due to insurance liability reasons.
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“What berries do you grow and when are they ready for picking?”
Hoffman Farms specializes in Blueberries – we are currently growing 140 acres. For U-Pick, we grow Strawberries (Hood, Albion, Sweet Sunrise, Shuksan), Boysenberries, Marionberries, Tayberries, Red Raspberries (Willamette, Coho, Cascade), Golden Raspberries (Caroline) and Blueberries (Duke, Elliott, Aurora, Legacy and Liberty). We also grow blackberries (Triple Crown) and blackcaps. For an estimated ripening timeline, click here!
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"What is a tayberry?"
A tayberry is a cross between a blackberry and a raspberry. We have several rows growing on our farm that you can pick when they are ripe in season!?
“What is a blackcap?”
A blackcap is a black raspberry. They are generally used for clothing and textile dyes, but are actually higher in antioxidants than blueberries!
“What is a marionberry?”
A marionberry is a cross between Chehalem and Olallie blackberries, named after Marion County, Oregon.
“Are your berries organic?”
We are not a certified organic farm, but the Hoffman Family uses the most sustainable farming methods possible.
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“Do you spray your berries?”
Hoffman Farms Store is a family farming operation and we are dedicated to providing our customers with the highest quality fruit possible in a safe, clean field environment. Food Safety is our highest priority. Each year, our farm participates in a third-party audit conducted by PrimusGFSI, which provides us with GAP/GMP certifications - the highest Food Safety certifications in the produce industry. We are not a certified organic farm, but we use the most sustainable farming practices possible for our large-scale operation. Throughout the growing season, we use an integrated pest management program (IPM), which includes field scouting and noise machines in the field. As part of our IPM, we apply limited amounts of crop protectants to ensure healthy plants and berries, although we do this on an as-needed basis. Our family works diligently to use only minimal amounts of crop protectants, because we also enjoy picking and eating the fruit we grow on our farm! Short answer: We are not organic. We are a sustainable commercial-scale family business striving to produce the BEST fruit for your family as well as our own.
“Where do you get your pies?”
All of our pies and bakery items are prepared fresh on-site in our on-farm bakery! To learn more or to place an order for an event (pick ups are offered every Friday), visit our bakery page.
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“Who makes your jellies and syrups?”
We have two local co-packers that we are grateful to work with to prepare our delicious jellies and syrups. Most of the berries are grown on our farm!
“How long have you been located here?”
The Hoffman Family has been farming in Scholls for over 40 years. We purchased this property from the Butler/Flint family in 2008. We opened the Farm Store the following summer. Learn more about our story here.
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“What is that tower thing I see in all of your branding and photos?”
The Butler Tower is an historic water tower dating back to the late 1800s. When it was first built, it had a windmill on top and a 500-gallon wooden water tank in the top story. There are two working wells at the base of the tower, and the windmill would have generated power to fill the tank, while gravity would have fed the water to the house and the farm. The Hoffman Family is planning to restore the windmill to the top – they are currently looking for an historically accurate replacement.
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