The New Red Barn at SQM

There’s a new red barn at the farm! No doubt you’ve seen it if you’ve driven by our Hardwick farm in the last year or peeped in on our social media pages. Just over a year ago it went up. Practically overnight, the speed of construction was amazing. In three quick weeks, we went from bare earth to a fully insulated shiny red barn- ready to move into… well, not quite. If I’m being honest, I’ve put a little “spin” on the ease and speed of our construction process, when the reality is we’ve been “at it” for almost two years. It’s been quite the process- from taking down an existing barn to navigating permits and site prep and planning for the building’s interior. And we’re just getting started!

What’s Inside the Barn?

Since the very first post was driven into the ground last January, we’ve fielded endless questions and creative ideas—from practical uses like hay and grain storage to fun notions like a basketball court, indoor pool, or even a second home! Now, after over two years of planning, we’re thrilled to reveal our plans:
We’re building a USDA Inspected Smokehouse and Ready-To-Eat (RTE) Processing Facility!

Check out some images from our construction phase last January 2024 that capture the early energy of this transformation.

A USDA Smokehouse & RTE (Ready To Eat) Facility... What it All Means!

The USDA Processing Upgrade: What It Means for Us

In a nutshell, expanding our facility to operate under full federal USDA inspection is a game changer. It isn’t just about meeting higher standards—it’s about opening new doors:

Expanded Sales Channels: USDA inspection allows us to wholesale all our meat products, breaking through previous state-imposed limitations.
Custom Processing Opportunities: Our enhanced processing capabilities mean we can extend our expertise to serve other local farms and businesses.
Enhanced Safety & Quality: Utilize state-of-the-art equipment to increase production capacity and improve efficiency while adhering to rigorous food safety standards.

For many livestock farmers—especially in New England—access to high-quality, USDA-inspected processing is a major barrier to growth. While some regions are fortunate to have several processors nearby, others must travel vast distances for similar services. Our expansion is a step toward leveling the playing field and bolstering regional food security.

A Brief History of Our Processing Journey

Our farm’s processing story began over 13 years ago when we built our first on-farm facility almost single-handedly. The decision came after spending many painful years in our own processing nightmare… utilizing 4 different processors and traveling up to 8 hours round-trip. It was unsustainable. At present, we operate a state-inspected facility for poultry and red meats. However, the harvest of our red meat is handled externally at a local USDA facility, and our state license has long limited our opportunities—especially for wholesale operations and broader market access.

By “going USDA,” we’re removing these barriers. This shift not only supports the long-term sustainability of our farm but also reinforces our commitment to quality, safety, and local food system resilience.

We've come a VERY long way!

I’m proud to share the story of our processing journey while acknowledging its bumpy start. To call myself “green” would be giving myself too much credit - I had never worked on a processing floor let alone twisted sausages or butchered meats until my first day operating our Butchery.
But I rolled up my sleeves, learned fast and had the blessing of an incredible team and a farm that produced exceptional meats.

A key difference between then and now is the support I have. In 2013, when I first built our processing facility, I largely navigated the process on my own—and made my fair share of mistakes. Today, I'm fortunate to have an exceptionally experienced team behind the scenes, along with strong backing from the broader Massachusetts agricultural community, including MDAR, CISA (Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture), and BAV (Berkshire Ag Ventures).

Phase II: The Build-Out

Our new barn isn’t just a processing space—it’s a facility designed to support all aspects of our farm operation. In addition to production areas, the building includes:

A Large Walk-In Freezer for increased product storage and food safety
Employee Bathrooms and a Breakroom to support our hardworking team!!
An Employee Kitchen for a well-fed crew
A Dedicated Spice Room … just think of the meatballs and sausage flavors coming!
USDA Offices dedicated for our inspectors
Farm Storage and Packing Areas to keep the farm organized and efficient
An Egg-Wash Area Winterized to improve the efficiency of our egg operation
A New Office Space for Kate - finally!!! After 19 years, I get an office.

Every detail—from the selection and strategic placement of drains and lighting to the equipment layout designed for maximum production flow and food safety—has been carefully planned to ensure that nothing is left to chance.

Here's a sneak peak of the processing floor plan:

Upgrading Equipment & Navigating Funding Challenges

In June 2024, we received a federal grant to acquire key equipment, including a blast-chiller, a state-of-the-art smoker oven, a roll-stock machine, and an automatic sausage stuffer. This equipment is critical for increasing capacity, improving efficiency, and streamlining food safety in our new facility. However, in January 2025, we received notice that the funding was on hold or possibly cut altogether. Although this setback is frustrating after months of preparation, we’re actively exploring alternative funding solutions and partnerships to keep our vision on track.

For instance, our new smoker oven—designed to handle up to 300 lbs of meat in just 2-3 hours (compared to our current 20-30 lbs over several hours)—will also integrate cooling and temperature logging processes, effectively combining multiple functions into one powerful unit.

In addition, we’re excited about two other upgrades that promise to be real game-changers:

A meatball marker to enhance product consistency
An automatic pie dough press that will speed up our production process

How does this change affect you, our loyal customers?

The good news is not much! Our amazing team (with a few new additions, hopefully) will continue to cut and process our meats using the same awesome recipes and techniques—just on a larger scale. We’ll still market directly through the farm and farmers’ markets because I wouldn’t miss the chance to connect, swap recipes, and share life stories face-to-face.

What’s going to change is some of the fun stuff! We’ll be upgrading our packaging, exploring new flavors for our sausages and meatballs, and—most importantly—expanding our reach into more stores. Stay tuned for more details, and in the meantime, start thinking about which retailers you’d be thrilled to see carrying our products!

Looking Ahead: Timeline & Next Steps

So, when will all these exciting changes be complete? Tentatively, we’re aiming for a full project completion by late 2025. There are still many hurdles and details to work out, and we promise to keep you updated every step of the way—whether through progress photos, behind-the-scenes videos, or stories straight from our processing floor.

Thank You & Get Involved

Your support has been the cornerstone of our journey. We’re incredibly grateful to have a passionate community that shares our vision for a brighter, bolder future in local agriculture. We invite you to follow us on social media and subscribe to our newsletter for regular updates. And if you have any thoughts, ideas, or questions about our new facility, please don’t hesitate to reach out—we’d love to hear from you.

Here’s to a new chapter in our farm’s story, built on innovation, quality, and the enduring spirit of community!

USDA Processing Expansion