It took decades for Ryan and Sarah Voiland to expand Red Fire Farm to 200 acres. They renovated an old dairy barn whose massive chestnut beams were held together with wooden pegs. They added a greenhouse, landscaped, and installed a display cooler to create a farm stand. It provided an idyllic backdrop for scores of customers wanting to feel connected to New England farm life as they shop for organic and locally grown carrots and tomatoes.
Then, one February morning in 2024, a call came. The barn was on fire. By the time the Voilands arrived, it was nearly gone.
After the shock wore off, the Voilands got to work, as farmers do, fundraising and applying for grants to rebuild and recover lost equipment and supplies. Setbacks are part and parcel of what it means to be one of 7,000 small-scale farmers in Massachusetts.
"We're trained to try any and all avenues that we can find to remain viable," says Mr. Voiland sitting in his Montague office, strewn with papers, fresh spring earth clinging to his boots. "Historically that has involved pursuing grant opportunities wherever we can to take advantage of whatever resources are out there to help keep us going."
Read more at The Christian Science Monitor