Danny Thomason, D&D Farm
Packing Shed, Delivery Trailer, Row Cover
Grant Award: $3,000
Danny is retrofitting a tobacco barn into a packing shed to help speed up boxing of vegetables before it travels to TRACTOR Food and Farms, which distributes his produce. He is also purchasing a delivery trailer to transport the packed produce, as well as adding row cover to push back the planting dates of cabbage and broccoli transplants, which are sensitive to cold temperatures. The combination of these efforts enables Danny to double production, improve quality and minimize time spent in transport.
For the past two seasons, he has marketed 100 percent of his produce through TRACTOR Food and Farms, a coop between Mitchell and Yancey County aimed at distributing local food to local consumers, wholesalers and retail outlets. Current demand for his products far exceeds supply.
“When I was a boy I hated going to the farmer’s market and sitting all day to sell corn,” Danny said. “This is one of the main reasons I like selling through a place like TRACTOR. I have the convenience of dropping off my produce and still having time to get things done on the farm.”
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