Arnolds’ produce farm is thriving on direct sales

April 2, 2020 Hot Copy

Chronicle Managing Editor Cathy DeDe writes: “We are happy that New York feels farmers markets are valuable and essential,” says Sandy Arnold. “Some states are banning them, like Vermont.”

Mrs. Arnold and her husband Paul operate Pleasant Valley Farm in Argyle. While they were off on what was supposed to be a four-month worldwide cruise, their adult children were running the farm.

Prepackaged produce — for delivery or pick-up at the farm stand. Deemed a necessity when precautions against Coronavirus curtailed farmers’ market sales, this may turn out to be a lasting boon to the business, they say. Photographed in one of Pleasant Valley’s three growing tunnels for producing year-round greens. Photo provided

“Our son Robert is super techie,” said Mrs. Arnold. He runs a side business called Smart Farm Innovations that gets market farms online.

“So we immediately turned things right around, creating a whole ordering system for our customers, and we had almost a normal day of sales right away — that, even though they only had the Glens Falls Market in operation, as the Saratoga Farmers Market was closed the first week after Coronavirus precautions…

“Robert set up delivery and pick-up options for their regular Saratoga customers, which they have continued even as the Saratoga market reopened.”

Now the Arnolds are also taking online pre-orders for the Glens Falls market, but not delivering in Glens Falls. Customers have the option to shop at the stand, or to pick up a pre-ordered, pre-packaged bag of vegetables.

It’s “a lot of work in the processing and preparing” but we are getting there,” Mrs. Arnold said. “The pre-orders have been really well received. We pack it on the farm, it’s really clean. The bag is packed and stapled and Robert has printed labels with the name and price on it. So it’s very safe. And Robert is looking to get credit cards on that too, soon.”

Meanwhile back on the farm — Paul and Sandy Arnold’s daughter Kim Atkins (above), son Robert, and Kim’s husband Peyton maintained the farm — and sales, largely — when the Coronavirus hit while their parents were out of the country. Kim is pictured at Saturday’s Glens Falls Farmers’ Market, held outdoors at Sanford Street School. Chronicle photo/Cathy DeDe

Pleasant Valley grows greens year-round in high tunnels, and sells them along with “a huge array” of year-round root vegetables in storage.

“Sales dipped a little in both markets, but they are back up,” Mrs. Arnold said. “We have such close ties with our customers and we are transparent in all we are doing in our practices. No customers handle the produce. Only one worker, with gloves on, handles money.”

Besides Arnold family members, they employ four or five part-timers who help harvest, prepare and now package the produce for market.

In three weeks, Mrs. Arnold said pre-packaged and home delivery orders have doubled each week. “We are not sure yet what the limit is.” Last weekend’s markets, she said, generated “the highest sales we’ve ever had in a winter week.”

Mrs. Arnold said their current adjustments may change things permanently.

“Farmers Markets are a lot of work. Maybe pre-orders are a great way to go for a lot of it. You know better what you need, and what you should bring.”

They also sell wholesale to Four Seasons natural foods store in Saratoga, which is “going gangbusters,” Mrs. Arnold said. Other wholesale accounts — a few restaurants, Lily and the Rose catering and Skidmore College — are down.

“We’ve always been innovators,” Mrs. Arnold said. “We are not afraid to try new things or change if something doesn’t work — you figure it out.”

Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980

Arnolds’ produce farm is thriving on direct sales

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