Welcome to the 3 Corners Farm and Homestead page! We'd like
to start by extending our heartfelt apologies to our loyal readers for our
absence throughout the entire summer of 2023. As farmers, we found it necessary
to take a break from writing to recharge. But we're back now and eager to share
some exciting news about our recent endeavors!
For those of you who are new to us, we are a family of five residing in Oregon. In 2019, after a lot of hard work, including improving our credit scores and renovating our old 1920s craftsman house for sale, we acquired the small acreage we now call home. Since then, we've embarked on a farming journey, mastering the art of cultivating produce like kale, arugula, and various salad mixes. We've also delved into marketing our produce, obtaining licenses, achieving Certified Naturally Grown status, and participating in local farmer's markets. We've come a long way, and if you're curious to learn more about us, our About Us page provides a glimpse into who we are and what sets us apart. Feel free to explore our previous blog posts to catch up on our journey from the beginning to where we are today.
Now, let's recap our summer!
We've been diligently working each day, harvesting, washing,
bagging, weighing, and labeling our produce, ensuring timely deliveries to our
customers. Here's a list of our current customers for our greens:
2. Riverside restaurant in Hood River, OR.
3. Freebridge Brewing in The Dalles, OR.
4. Gorge Farmer Collective, serving the entire Columbia
River Gorge, including the Washington side in White Salmon, WA.
Since we're not entirely sure where we left off regarding our farming progress and other updates, we'll start with July and compare our results to last year:
- In July 2023, we achieved 668 pounds of greens in sales.
- In August 2022, we completed 602 pounds of greens in sales.
- In August 2023, we reached an impressive 1268 pounds in
greens sales.
We also welcomed a new customer this summer, Solstice WoodFire Pizza, through the Gorge Farmers Collective. They've been ordering 75 pounds of salad mix weekly since the first week of August.
Apart from our farming duties, we manage a small homestead farm with about a dozen animals, some of them seniors, that require daily care and feeding. Despite our busy schedule, we managed to squeeze in a few family getaways, enjoyed the Hood River County Fair, and spent quality time with friends.
Now, as we transition into the fall season, a new chapter awaits us. We're excited to announce a significant development in our journey:
Hydroponics!
We've achieved our goal of acquiring a shipping container for hydroponics, which will soon be delivered to our homestead. This achievement was made possible through the dedication of my husband, Travis. Here's a brief overview of the steps involved:
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| Freight Farm Shipping Container |
On top of all the other daily work he has been doing, my husband Travis worked diligently behind the scenes to make this dream a reality. The steps he took in getting approved for this endeavor are as follows:
- Travis secured a loan, despite having less than three
years of business experience, a challenging feat. Maintaining meticulous
records of all business transactions and growth played a crucial role.
- We established a new farm entity, 3 Corners Hydrofarm, LLC, to distinguish our hydroponics venture from our existing farming business.
- Travis applied for a loan for the hydroponics container through a commercial bank, involving paperwork, business-related inquiries, and providing proof of our successful business track record.
As we navigate the logistics with banking and lenders, our
next step is coordinating with Freight Farms to ensure the smooth delivery of
the Greenery S, our vertical hydroponic farm container. This process entails
creating a site map using a drone, identifying utility locations, and ensuring
access to the container placement area.
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| Greenery S Freight Farms |
While we've started preparing the designated area on our property, there's more work to be done. If all goes as planned, the hydroponics container will arrive before mid-October. Then, we'll embark on a new learning journey with the Farmhand software, which will help us produce an estimated two hundred and fifty pounds of salad mix weekly.
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| Prepping Pad |
Hydroponics offers several advantages, including year-round
farming, reduced water usage due to precise watering, and automated temperature
control for optimal plant growth. It's a glimpse into the future of farming,
allowing us to overcome inclement weather challenges.
We're excited to document this journey on YouTube and Facebook, so stay tuned for updates and links to our videos in future blog posts.
Currently, Travis farms 30 miles away on a separate lot with irrigation (which is leased), transporting the produce back to our homestead for processing. Soon, we'll be able to consolidate our efforts and skills, making our work more efficient. We're incredibly grateful for this opportunity and feel truly blessed.
So, there you have it! We've brought you up to speed on our latest developments. We look forward to sharing more updates soon. Until then, take care and savor the beauty of fall weather and all it has to offer.
Warm regards,
Amy E. Darr
3 Corners Farm
Mosier, Oregon, U.S.A.
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