History of Tawas Blueberry Farm

Formerly Czaika’s Blueberry Farm

In the early 1950’s Joe and Donna Czaika bought land south of Tawas City. After clearing the land by hand during evenings, weekends, and holidays, Joe and his son, Joe Jr. planted the first root stock of blueberry bushes.  The front two-thirds of the present farm are the very same root stock from the original bushes.

At the time, highway M-46 was considered the general northern limit for cultivated blueberries, except near large bodies of water.  In the 1970’s Joe Sr. became a test farmer for Michigan State University’s blueberry studies.  Of the nearly fifty varieties of blueberries Joe Sr. tested, only four survived this far north. 

Over the years, between three and six acres have been planted with combinations of the four viable varieties he tested plus some varieties which have been developed more recently.