Blade runner 2015; On the farm, there's a schedule to keep.

• Author: Barnes, George
• Position: Local

Byline: George Barnes

NORTHBORO -- Taking advantage of relatively nice weather Monday and Tuesday, Mike Berberian was out plowing his fields.

He was not plowing into his fields, but plowing several feet of snow off the top to expose the soil.

Mr. Berberian has a schedule to keep at Berberian's Farm on Otis Street. He plans to get seed in the ground the first week of April. That is his plan every year at the farm, and he is not letting a bit of record-setting snow get in the way.

It has been a difficult winter so far, especially since the end of January. Records have been set for February snowfall and cold temperatures and snow keeps falling. Every aspect of society has been affected by the extreme winter that Mother Nature is dumping on us -- including farmers.

The farmers like the water the snow will bring when it melts, but are not happy with the problem it poses for those who like to plant early and often.

Mr. Berberian is an early planter.

On Tuesday, in his big John Deere tractor with a good-sized snow plow, Mr. Berberian pushed snow up into a long, high pile along the edge of a field on Tomblin Hill Road. He said he was not so much concerned about small storms predicted this week, but just getting several feet of snow off the field so normal melting would allow for thawing of the ground.

Mr. Berberian said he generally has multiple plantings in his fields throughout the spring and summer to ensure his customers will have a regular supply of fresh greens. He said his customers are very particular about what they buy and look forward to getting the first harvest from his fields. He said snow plowing of his fields has attracted a little bit of attention, especially from David Cooley, a friend who is enjoying the winter because of the bonanza it has brought to his plowing business. He got a chuckle out of the solution Mr. Berberian has come up with to get his fields ready for spring.

Spring planting varies from farm to farm, but many farms look to get something in the ground as soon as possible to allow them to be competitive in farmers' markets.

The snow plowing technique is purely Mr. Berberian's invention. He said three generations of his family have run the farm since his grandfather bought it in 1925. In those 90 years, he said he does not believe anyone else in his family used his method of ushering in an early spring.

David Nicewicz, of Nicewicz Family Farm in Bolton, said snow cover has never been a major problem for his family's...