From planting and growing, to picking and packing, there are many steps in growing delicious tomatoes all year long. And behind the scenes, there’s a hard working team making sure the Backyard Farms greenhouse is running smoothly.
Meet Mike Earle, Director of Maintenance at the greenhouse. Mike has been with us for almost eight years and has fixed, replaced and tweaked almost every piece of equipment that keeps the greenhouse operating.
As you probably know, inside Backyard Farms' greenhouse, it feels like summer every day of the year. They have boilers warming water to keep temperatures consistent, and depend on grow lights when the days get shorter, and needless to say, with all that’s going on, there are bound to be things that need repairing.
That’s where Mike comes in. He and his nine-person team monitor, assess and fix all the machinery in Backyard Farms' 42-acre greenhouse. This is no easy feat. In fact, Mike says it takes about two years to teach a new team member all the different procedures.
“There are a lot of moving pieces that have to work all the time. You can’t tell the plants to take a day off so that you can fix the boiler. The heat and the water always have to work to ensure the plants keep growing,” says Mike at Backyard Farms' blog.
The team must be self-sufficient. Mike compares the greenhouse to an island, as there’s limited infrastructure in the immediate area that can be called upon when a problem arises. Over time, he and his team have built up an inventory of critical parts to make sure they’re prepared, no matter the issue.
After nearly eight years of working at the greenhouse, Mike has a quite a few memorable moments, but when asked about something that occurred recently, he quickly replied, “The gosling!”
For those of you who don’t know what Mike is referencing, back in October, Backyard Farms' maintenance team rescued a young goose that found itself on our property. The goose had lost his ability to fly, and as the cold months were approaching, the team knew the bird would not make it on its own. If you haven’t already, we invite you to read the story of the Backyard Farms goose.
When he’s not at the greenhouse, Mike can usually be found working outdoors. He grew up on a dairy farm and now owns a 90-acre woodlot in Maine. His home’s close proximity to the greenhouse is part of the reason why he loves working at Backyard Farms; that, and because no two days are ever the same in his line of work.
For more information
Backyard Farms
Tim Cunniff
EVP, Sales & Marketing
131 River Road
Madison, ME 04950
T: (207) 232-1008
T: (207) 696-5300