The past year has been a period of highs and lows not just for Smolak Farms, but for many other farms in the state and across New England and New York. It began back during Covid when the pandemic had a marked affect on the flow of business. Weddings and functions rescheduled and, in most cases, canceled. Many businesses were forced to close their doors. We were fortunate to stay open and persevere during some of the darkest days. Our hearts soared during that time when so many would visit our Farm and thank us for being open and for being a bright light during a dark time.
Where We Have Been
Last May, our Farm suffered another devastating blow when a fire burned three of our buildings to the ground. Since that day we have been rebuilding the structures and the Function area is back up and running and truly has never looked better. Event bookings have been slow as the fire scared off so many who were looking to host their most special events at our Farm. While we worked to rebuild, the region endured one of the most challenging droughts last summer. Normally we would have been able to overcome the drought with little issues, but the fire burnt out much of our drip irrigation equipment which in turn led to a devastating effect on some of our crops.
This year our strawberry crop was severely compromised as were the peaches and Christmas tree seedlings by a combination of a spring frost and disease issue which was felt across the region. A total of 3,000 Christmas seedlings dried up which were combined with the 5,000 from the year before. One final problem we faced was a frost during apple bloom time. I spoke with an orchard in New Hampshire that lost 6,000,000 worth of their apple crop.
Despite the adversity thrown in our path, we are pressing forward in earnest and with a determination like never before. Here is what we have planned.
Where We Are Going
Strawberries – we are planting 23 acres of strawberries for 2024 and are already starting to plan for a return of our Strawberry Festival next year.
Raspberries – this crop is being interplanted to replace compromised plants and 2AC will be planted next year.
Peaches – our peaches should bloom as normal. Barring any more 15-degree below temperatures we should be fine as the trees (and not the flowers) were not damaged. We are also planting a new 3-acre peach orchard.
Christmas Trees – we will plant seedlings this fall. Our 2,000 pre-cut trees are fine.
Apples – our apple crop is very heavy this year which is our biggest crop..
Animals – we are planning special Farm Day Festivals for this month and into the summer. We will be adding calves, lambs and a few other furry surprises.
Blueberries – we look forward to a Blueberry Festival this summer which will replace our Peach Festival
Whim Dinners – our famous Farm-to-Table Dinner Series is being organized and will return beginning in July.
Education & Activities – our programming had expanded and we will be bringing more experiences for kids and kids at heart!
There is no question that it has been a challenging period, but we are excited for the future. My staff has done a heroic job creating innovative programs and ideas. We appreciate your continued support as promise even better days ahead.
Michael Smolak
Smolak Farms