So many of you ask me how the farm is doing that I've come to think of my periodic updates as my "State of the Farm" messages.
With spring upon us, our farm market is open, team members are returning, our greenhouses are filling with the plants we are growing for our fields and for our garden center, and our field equipment is being readied. In other words, we will soon be fully operational.
What will this year bring? Only time will tell! Many of you are gardeners or may have read about the challenging growing conditions of the 2023 season.
Last year's May 18th freeze, combined with excessive rain and cloudiness throughout the summer, certainly diminished field production for us and other farms. Once again, thanks to our exceptional, hardworking, and innovative team, we kept our farm market shelves stocked every day.
Speaking of innovations, many of you liked Moulton's Hay Wagon, our food truck that we opened last summer. Indeed, I appreciated picking up my own lunch and thought it was special that all the veggies in the "Grilled Veggie" sandwich were growing just hours before I ate it!
Many of you have watched the construction of our new barn, exactly on the footprint of the original livestock barn utilized by my family for generations.
This new structure houses our produce packing equipment and large refrigeration units. The sentimental part of the story is that one day, I realized I was standing exactly in a spot my great-grandfather would have referred to as the stable, housing the farm's workhorses. My father converted the same place into dairy cow "tie-up" stalls.
I feel fortunate to carry on the farming tradition and be able to construct this building, continuing our farm's decades of adaptation and viability.
Instead of milk leaving the farm, fresh produce fills our farm market shelves. Horses no longer live in the barn; instead, large modern tractors have replaced them.
The new season will be full of challenges. With a loyal and capable team, along with your continued support, and maybe catching a break from the weather, we will be ready for a productive year.