Farm for sale

Willow Wisp expands

ISABEL BRAVERMAN
Posted 2/8/17

DAMASCUS, PA — Growth. Change. Shedding your skin. Willow Wisp Organic Farm outgrew its home, and is now expanding and moving to a new location, just five miles away from its current property …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Farm for sale

Willow Wisp expands

Posted

DAMASCUS, PA — Growth. Change. Shedding your skin. Willow Wisp Organic Farm outgrew its home, and is now expanding and moving to a new location, just five miles away from its current property in Damascus. In our economically depressed rural area, this is truly a success story.

In fact, it’s a success story that makes a lot of sense. The open land, proximity to major urban markets and natural resources here make for a robust agriculture industry. However, in recent years, like many industries, it has been dwindling. The dairy segment in particular has suffered. But the farmers persevere, with vegetable growers becoming increasingly common, and there is an abundance of farmers’ markets in local towns up and down the river valley.

Willow Wisp started nine years ago with the owners, Greg Swartz and Tannis Kowalchuk, and one part-time employee. The farm workforce is now up to nine full-time employees. The operation harvests a diverse mix of vegetables, herbs and cut flowers on 12 acres. Their products are sold in four farmers’ markets: Callicoon; Barryville; Union Square, Manhattan; and Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn. They sell wholesale to restaurants in the area and New York City, as well as to grocery stores. As Swartz said, “We have maxed out the land.”

After nine successful years, Swartz and Kowalchuk are selling the 12-acre farm and house. The turnkey farm includes many amenities: it has been certified organic and has four unheated greenhouses, a barn, walk-in cooler, tractor shed and much more. The home is a restored farmhouse built c. 1900 with two bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, office/bedroom, guest room, attic, basement, root cellar, front porch, patio and a woodshed. The landscaped yard includes a kitchen garden, flower gardens, apple, pear and peach trees.

Showings are by appointment only; you can contact Swartz at 570/982-0050 or greg@willowwisporganic.com.

The couple bought the new property at the end of 2015, and have spent the past year getting it ready. “It’s been a very busy year,” Swartz said. Changes to the new land have included planting two rounds of cover crops, adding lime and rock minerals to the soil and building an eight-foot deer fence around the field. The existing barn has been renovated to include a washing and packing room, work stations, loading dock and walk-in coolers. New electric service, a new water well and new irrigation system are at the ready. New greenhouses, including one heated house, will help to extend the season. By next year, solar panels will cover the barn roof.

All of these updates to infrastructure help the farm increase production. In fact, over the coming years they will be able to quadruple their production. This means more volume and over time being able to add new crops including fruit, asparagus, microgreens and many other flowers and vegetables. Later phases of development will include another barn, more greenhouses, a commercial kitchen to launch their own value-added product line, and an event space for good food, community gatherings and performance.

Speaking to the prosperity of Willow Wisp, Swartz said, “It’s not easy, but it’s achievable.” This region could be a success story for many farms. “Natural resources are the best resources,” Swartz commented, adding that there is a direct connection to markets in New York City. “Small scale is our best shot at economic development,” he said.

As Swartz and Kowalchuk and their son Simon prepare to re-locate and start building up Willow Wisp on new land, they look back with fondness at the memories the old land and house provided. “We love this house and this land. We hope you will too.”

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here