A small, white truck with colourful strawberry decals plastered on its side bounces down the edge of a field in Chilliwack.

Bob Shoker parks his B次元官网网址榮trawberrymobileB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� a 1990 Toyota HiAce truck B次元官网网址� and gets out, wearing sunglasses and a sunhat. Light-brown dirt marks are visible on his dark pants.

He has a loud, but cheerfully pleasant voice. HeB次元官网网址檚 full of pride and passion as he speaks about his family business, Shoker Farms.

B次元官网网址淵ou look at a strawberry and you get a glow on your faceB次元官网网址� eating a strawberry, letting it mush in your mouth and all the sweetness comes out. ThereB次元官网网址檚 nothing like local strawberries.B次元官网网址�

Behind him are some of their 15 acres of fields. Their Unsworth Road location is one of the bigger groups of fields in Chilliwack where they grow strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and corn.

Shoker Farms has been in Chilliwack for nearly 50 years, growing all sorts of fruits and vegetables, including one million pounds of rhubarb last year alone.

But strawberries are their specialty, Bob said.

ItB次元官网网址檚 been a family-run business for its entire 48 years. It began when BobB次元官网网址檚 dad Ajit Singh Shoker and mom Manjit Kaur Shoker moved to Chilliwack from Punjab, India, in 1974. One year later, when Bob was just a year and a half old and learning how to run, Shoker Farms was born.

Now, Bob, who is the youngest of five siblings, and his brother Bill run the show. But, Ajit is still involved and likes to drive around checking things out.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 in his blood, heB次元官网网址檚 been doing it his whole life,B次元官网网址� Bob said.

Strawberries are the most consumed fruit in the world, he said. At Shoker, they grow different types of both everbearing and June-bearing varieties like Albion, which he describes as a B次元官网网址渘ice, medium, firm berry;B次元官网网址� Puget Reliance, which is dark in colour and sweet; and San Andreas, which are some of the first strawberries of the season.

B次元官网网址淪trawberries are such a beautiful crop. You keep maintaining them, keep renovating them, keep feeding them, and they keep producing for you.B次元官网网址�

They sell what they harvest at fruit stands throughout Chilliwack and local produce stores. The strawberries are even shipped as far away as Calgary.

B次元官网网址淵ou pick the berries and within 20 minutes itB次元官网网址檚 at the fruit stand. You canB次元官网网址檛 get fresher than that,B次元官网网址� Bob said.

This year, theyB次元官网网址檝e opened up a fruit stand at 46825 Bailey Rd. in Chilliwack. Other locations are Lickman Road north of Keith Wilson Road, and Giesbrecht Road at Vedder Mountain Road.

Peak strawberry season is from early June to the end of July.

B次元官网网址淲e want everybody to enjoy the strawberries while the season lasts. We put a lot of energy and effort into this. ItB次元官网网址檚 a big demand.B次元官网网址�

Labour is an issue, he added, and so they did a trial run of a robotic strawberry-picking machine last year that theyB次元官网网址檙e introducing to the crops this year.

The machines are by Neupeak Robotics, a B.C.-based agriculture automation startup. The wheeled robots have two arms and a container on top. It rolls down the rows and gently picks the fruit from the plants. It can work day and night. The company charges farmers a fixed rate per pound of strawberries collected.

Decades ago, Shoker Farms offered U-pick and had about three times the number of acres due to high demands from processors.

But those processors are now gone and Bob admits itB次元官网网址檚 not easy being a farmer.

B次元官网网址淏ut the rewards are goodB次元官网网址� seeing people eat, kids enjoying it and getting their vitamins in,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淔eed the world one strawberry at a time, one blueberry, one (cob of) corn, whatever it takes.B次元官网网址�

For more, check out Shoker Farms on Facebook, or contact them at 604-824-1541 or shokerfarms@hotmail.com.

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