Help Save Mapleview Produce Farm

We are a small family farm growing 20 acres of vegetables with 6 greenhouses. We strive to provide top quality produce at reasonable prices.
My wife Eileen and I started farming when we were married in 1983. Eileen and her mother Ruth have worked tirelessly over the years to sell our produce at three locations in the Adirondacks. They have put many very long days on the road to sell our fresh produce. Our son Jon also works with us and is hoping to continue farming in the future.

We have been selling fresh produce in Saranac Lake, NY for 31 years. We have been a part of the Old Forge Farmers market in Old Forge, NY since it began 11 years ago, and our stand for 10 years in Eagle Bay, NY is at The Bay Café.

We take great pride in feeding such a beautiful area. Farming is our livelihood, way of life, and passion.

Now due to three bad growing seasons in a row we are facing the possibility of not being able to continue farming next year. This year has proved to be the worst in our 35 years of farming.

In 2016 there was a major expense of expanding an existing irrigation pond which did not hold enough water to irrigate crops.  Part of the dike has since been damaged and needs repair.

Last year (2017) the spring was very cold and wet which prevented us from planting crops on time. In late May a hail storm destroyed the early crops we managed to get in.

This year (2018) we had a drought from mid May to early August which caused much crop loss. We have also sustained more than usual crop loss from the hungry deer who ate and destroyed over 3 ½ acres of our crops which is over 15% of our crop acres. We also had multiple equipment breakdowns, including having to replace our main tractor.

For the past 3 years, we have been faced with diminished income due to small and/or bad crop and increased expense to battle the bad weather and repair or replace old machinery. This has left us operating the farm at a loss for 3 years in a row leaving us with unsustainable debt, and looking for a way to start up next year.

It is very hard for our family to ask for help but that is our last option to help us stay in business and keep on farming and supplying the Adirondacks with our fresh produce.

Funding will go to purchase supplies to start up next year, reducing the farm operating loans from the past 3 years, badly needed repairs on greenhouses and equipment, repairs on the irrigation pond dike, and strategies for earlier crops and deer damage control.

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