Anna Perkins rolls up the sides of a high tunnel structure to bring fresh air to crops.
ISLANDER PHOTO BY VICTORIA DECOSTER
TOWN HILL — Anna and Adam Perkins, the new managers of Triple Chick Farm, have officially reopened the on-site farm stand at 1142 Maine Route 102 in Town Hill.
Open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, the stand offers a variety of certified organic produce, flowers and other Maine-sourced goodies, including bags of Precipice Coffee and MaineFlavor ice cream sandwiches.
“Our goal is to have the farm stand be the focal point,” said Anna, who has been co-manager since November. “We’re hoping that people will want to stop here and we can do most of our sales on site.”
The bulk of the farm’s produce has been going to Healthy Acadia, an organization dedicated to delivering local food to surrounding communities. Healthy Acadia also operates a division of MDI FarmDrop, an online farmers market. New postings of available produce are put on the site each week, shoppers buy their favorites and the farm delivers to their customers’ door. Last week marked the last farm drop for the summer season.
“Maybe over time we could expand the farmstand and make it winterized and be more open during the shoulder seasons – really make sure produce is available to the local community as well as tourists and summer folk,” Anna said.
Before Anna and Adam took over last fall, Triple Chick Farm had been out of commission for two years since the COVID-19 outbreak began in 2020. The previous managers and staff were reaching retirement age and drastically slowed down crop production in the last five years, opting for high tunnel use in lieu of open-field cultivation. Instead of ramping up for pandemic precautions, they stepped down entirely.
“We were looking for our own farming situation when the pandemic hit,” Anna said. “Until this became a possibility, we were thinking we would have to look for other jobs.”
Three years ago, when the Perkinses were first in contact with the owners of Triple Chick Farm, Amy Falls and Hartley Rogers, they weren’t quite ready to change management. But all parties were fully prepared for the transition after a Maine Organic Farmers and Gardner’s Association member facilitated the reconnection last year.
“Maine is very supportive of bringing farmers to land that have a hard time with land access. Because of the really vibrant farming community in Maine, we had this opportunity; otherwise, I’m not sure if this would have been viable for us,” Anna said.
Anna is native to the Dedham area. Although both sides of her family have roots in the farming industry, she grew up hearing stories rather than experiencing it firsthand. Her grandfather was a dairy farmer in central Maine at a time when production was declining, turning her dad away from the practice. On her mom’s side, the decision to change career paths happened a generation earlier.
Anna didn’t get her first farming experience until participating in a 2011 Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association apprenticeship in Blue Hill her junior year of college.
“I immediately was like ‘oh wow, this is what I want,’” Anna said.
Adam grew up on a family farm in Bradford County Pennsylvania. The two met through the Peace Corps during a food security project in Nepal.
“He was always more in tune with farming than I was, but I brought him here and showed him about small-scale vegetable farming,” Anna said. “It felt like Maine was the obvious choice because there’s been a long history of people really caring about this here.”
The owners of Triple Chick Farm named it after their three daughters. Fittingly, Anna and Adam are raising their 1-year-old girl, Charlie, on the farm. Anna said she loves being a part of the action but more importantly the crew members love being around her and have taken on the role of an extended farming family.
In August, the Perkinses will be able to move into their permanent residence currently being built on the farm, cutting down their commute and raising the quality of work they can put into the harvest. Anna said she is in communication with the owners about potentially constructing on-site housing for employees, eliminating housing stressors for labor and guaranteeing a secure workforce.
Although this season will be their first as full-time managers, Anna and Adam have grand visions for the future. Alongside expanding the field to incorporate more crop rotations, they hope to add pastured poultry to the operation and bring back Triple Chick Farms signature fresh eggs.
Anna said she wants the farm stand to be a joint collaboration with other community members to support local foods and businesses.
“I think we haven’t cemented what we are as a farm yet,” Anna said. “We want to know what we can offer the community that isn’t already here, and I think we’re in a lucky position that we are flexible to meet those needs.”
"triple" - Google News
June 17, 2022 at 07:49PM
https://ift.tt/fnC8Jwg
Triple Chick Farm hatches a reopening - Mount Desert Islander - Mount Desert Islander
"triple" - Google News
https://ift.tt/bG3xlp7
https://ift.tt/QC13PsZ
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Triple Chick Farm hatches a reopening - Mount Desert Islander - Mount Desert Islander"
Post a Comment