January 2021 - 25

FARM MARKET & AGRITOURISM
Pickling cucumbers, tomatoes, dill,
Roma tomatoes, beets and green beans
were all offered in half bushels in 2020.
" We grew more green beans and
carrots this year, " Thorson said. " They're
more labor-intensive but have a stronger
market. We do a lot of sweet corn and
romaine lettuce and had a lot more
varieties of head lettuce this year. "
Slicing cucumbers, summer and winter
squash, potatoes, onions, zucchini,
cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi,
sweet and hot peppers, and melons and
watermelons are also grown.
Thorson's Farm Fresh Produce has
three high tunnels, nine hoop houses and
about 13 acres of vegetable production.
They have seasonal employees for both
selling and growing vegetables. " We do
a number of plantings. We try to have a
reliable supply throughout the season, "
Thorson said.
The operation has a germination seed
house and grows its own transplants.
Transplants are started at the end of
March because the season is so late in
north central Minnesota. The transplants
are moved from the germination seed
house to a starter greenhouse before
being planted in the hoop houses in early
May. " We had hard frosts in the middle
of May last year, " Thorson said. " We had
to cover the plants and provide a little
supplemental heat. "
Thorson's Farm Fresh Fresh Produce at St. Cloud Area Farmers Market. Photo: St. Cloud Area Farmers Market
Slicing cucumbers are grown inside
on trellises. " It's a good way to get
cucumbers early in the season, " Thorson
said, " and for later plantings. "
Pickling cucumbers are grown outside
in barrels with drip irrigation going to
each barrel. " The barrels work well, "
Thorson said. " The cucumbers cascade
over the barrels and we pick three times a
week. " The cucumbers are easy to harvest
because workers don't have to get down
on the ground to pick.
The year of 2020 was a rough one
for vegetable growers in north central
Minnesota. Besides the late, hard frosts
in mid-May, there was an early frost in
September. " We were able to save a lot, "
Thorson said. " We picked a lot to get it
inside or tried to cover it. "
It's been an evolution for Thorson's
Farm Fresh Produce. At one time the
farm raised soybeans and corn, and fed
out dairy steers, and then transitioned
to farrow to finish hogs - until hog
prices plummeted. " Lots of traditional
farms were struggling, " Thorson said,
" and Dad saw the writing on the wall. "
Broiler chickens with a state-inspected
plant was the next enterprise. The
Thorsons were at farmers' markets
selling whole fryer chickens and saw
an advantage to selling vegetables at
the markets, too. They converted their
irrigated row crops into vegetables for
direct sales and grew winter squash for
the wholesale market. They eventually
dropped the wholesale market and
broiler enterprise to focus solely on
fresh market vegetables.
" We evolved and adapted to stay in
business and stay profitable, " Thorson
said. " Our business model is to sell at
farmers' markets and at our own stands.
Stick with your business model and try to
keep it moving forward. " FGN
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January 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2021