In This Episode, I talk to Tim Clymer from Threefold Farm, in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, who specializes in unusual fruits for the Susquehanna Valley region.

We talk about his orchard business as well as his climate battery greenhouses in this exciting and educational episode!

You’ll Hear:

>> About Tim’s internship and how it helped him with his own business 6:20

>> What a typical day looks like on his farm 8:15

>> How he handles invasive plants and rodents 9:25

>> What his climate battery greenhouses are and the details around how he built them and the economics of them 12:30

>> What Penn State added to his study of the greenhouse systems he created 20:22

>> How he manages time and projects for his orchard 36:00

>> What he says has been the hardest thing about being a farmer 39:38

>> Who Tim’s mentors are and where/how he continues to learn 41:34

>> How Tim has forged local business relationships 46:40

About the Guest

Tim Clymer and his wife Katherine own and operate Threefold Farm in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Threefold Farm is an orchard specializing in unusual fruits, ranging from kiwi berries to pawpaws, figs, and persimmons. Threefold Farm markets to local restaurants and food hubs and offers a seasonal farm stand and u-pick on the property.

Both Tim and Katherine are first generation farmers and the farm was named after their Threefold Purpose: Grow Deeply, Serve Joyfully, Teach with Humility.

Resources and mentions

Threefold Farm Website, Facebook, Instagram

Okatsune Pruners
https://www.amazon.com/Okatsune-8-25-inch-Bypass-Pruners-Extra/dp/B004JKKOZI

General Threefold Farm Website
https://threefoldfarm.org/

Climate Battery Greenhouse: (leads to other climate battery sections within the site)
https://threefoldfarm.org/climate-battery-greenhouse

PASA (Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture):
https://pasafarming.org/

NAFEX:
https://nafex.org/

Fruit and Nut Compass – It’s not available yet, but when it is, it’ll be available at: http://www.veggiecompass.com/

SARE project: https://projects.sare.org/sare_project/lnc16-376/

And if you want to keep the conversation going, join us in our Facebook Group to connect with us and other farmers looking to grow their business!

We also have six free eguides to help you be more effective on your farm (Winter Growing, Pastured Poultry, Washing Shed Efficiency, Profitable Farmers Toolkit, what to look for in a farm property, etc), which you can download here.