The Season of Transition
This is the season of transition! There is a lot of exciting new construction going on. Last year we built a new machine shed to house our tractors, implements, and workshop. Jon, our new Facilities Manager, has been over seeing the action. Along with his assistant, Nick, the two of them have been preparing for this big project, which will consist of three phases.
Phase one of the construction plan consists of site preparation. Over the last few weeks, Jon and Nick have been clearing away debris from the back loading dock of the barn and the old foundation that once supported the farm’s original barn. After the two sites are cleared of apple bins and shipping containers, the construction can begin!
We’ve enlisted the help of a few local contractors to help with the horizontal phase of the project which consists of repairing and recapping the concrete of the loading dock and the foundation. This will provide a blank slate for the builders to come in and begin erecting the post and beam additions.
The expansion of the barn going onto the loading dock will be the new home of our vegetable pack room and veggie cooler. This exciting change will allow both fruit and vegetable packing as well as distribution to happen under one roof, which will make preparing for CSA and market a breeze. The other extension going onto the old foundation will be the site of our new apple cold storage room, which we’ll need for our ever expanding apple crop (as long as the weather cooperates) and for when we build out our on-farm Cidery.