Max Kirks - High Pine Produce /Outlier Farm - Mancos, CO
"It seems like the whole world has changed since we made our pitch to the Slow Money money team last winter! Shortly after receiving the funds to purchase our implements for our walk-behind tractor, the COVID19 pandemic shook nearly every aspect of our lives and for a brief moment we were very worried that we wouldn't be able to farm at the capacity we were hoping to.
We considered using the loan money to cover emerging expenses such as new packaging, PPEs, and a new refurbished online farm store, however (much to our surprise) demand for local food skyrocketed and by increasing our CSA share availability from 25 to 60 members we were able to comfortably address these changing marketplace challenges.
We decided to carry on with our plan of using our loan money to purchase a flail mower and rotary plow for our BCS, a decision that has greatly improved our in-field efficiencies and goals towards improving our soil health. We have been using these implements almost weekly on the farm since they arrived in mid-May and they have quickly become an integral part of our operation.
While the rest of 2020 has proven to be one hurdle after another (we also had a nearly Biblical grasshopper infestation in June/July that almost wiped us out), we are confident that the tools and systems we've put in place this year will give us a strong foundation to continue growing nutritious food for our community for many years to come. We are still growing food in our newly built high tunnels (find our produce at DNF and James Ranch!) and will be opening registration for our 2021 CSA Program on December 1st (visit our website for more details)."
Mowing Buckwheat
Infestation!
Third Greenhouse!
Bird’s eye view of the farm