Andy Messenger

My wife, Abby, is starting a job with the State of Maine Centers for Disease Control in July 2025 and I plan to relocate with her within the next year or two. The ideal property would be within a 1-hour drive to Augusta (for Abby’s work), have a move-in ready house, and open fields (not necessarily in vegetable production), though we could consider land on which we could build a house or land with a house in need of repairs. I would like to continue growing mixed vegetables for direct sales (CSA, farmers’ market, and/or farm stand) similarly to how I am operating now as Turning Mill Farm.

Mission, Values, and Goals

We believe in producing high-quality, low-cost vegetables for our local community in the least destructive way possible. Turning Mill Farm is an ecosystem that supports human and non-human life, including kildeer, frogs, praying mantises, swallowtail butterflies, and bumblebees. While we at times begrudge our less cooperative residents (slugs, voles, flea beetles, the neighbor’s cows), we accept them as a part of the system to which we must adapt. Since we believe that healthy soil is an essential foundation of our system, we strive to protect and build our soil health each year. We work towards this goal by maintaining permanent raised beds with wood chip-mulched pathways, practicing crop rotation, providing habitat for beneficial wildlife, protecting the soil from erosion by using straw/hay mulch and cover crops, and maintaining soil structure by minimally tilling and using hand tools. We also limit our use of fossil fuels by minimizing our tractor use and transporting vegetables to market in hybrid vehicles. We pride ourselves in our affordable, high-quality food that is marketed direct to consumers and as locally as possible.

Business History

Turning Mill Farm is in its third year of business with Andy Messenger as the sole proprietor. Turning Mill Farm operates on land leased from Canterbury Shaker Village, which has both conservation and historical easements on its land. The land had previously been leased by Concord Food Co-op for their Concord Co-op Organic Gardens, which Andy managed from 2018 through 2022. When managing the farm for the Co-op, Andy sold the vegetables he grew internally to the Co-op’s produce department. In his first year operating Turning Mill Farm in 2023, he sold mixed vegetables wholesale to the Concord Food Co-op in addition to selling at the Canterbury Farmers’ Market. In 2024, Andy also got Turning Mill Farm into the Concord Farmers’ Market, such that he was selling at two farmers’ markets plus selling wholesale to the Co-op and Granite State Natural Foods. For the 2025 season, Andy is focusing on the two farmers’ markets only to streamline his operations. Turning Mill Farm has been profitable in its first two seasons of operation, with over $30,000 in net income in 2024.

Operations

Turning Mill Farm is owned and operated by Andy Messenger. Andy performs the vast majority of the farm labor with some volunteer help from his parents and wife, Abby. This year, he hired an employee to help with farm work 8 hours per week. Andy also performs most of the business management with some help from Abby. Abby has a full-time off-farm job so is generally limited to helping on evenings and weekends.

Turning Mill Farm operates on land leased from Canterbury Shaker Village. The land consists of approximately 0.5 acres of raised beds in the historic garden area plus additional raised beds in two high tunnels, one of which can be heated with propane. In addition to the high tunnels, infrastructure that Andy leases from Canterbury Shaker Village includes a shared tool shed, shared barn space, shared irrigation systems (supplied by a drilled well in the high tunnels and a pond in the historic garden area), a wash and pack station, a walk-in cooler, a small tractor, and a hay wagon. There is an additional 0.5 acres of mixed perennial grasses adjacent to the historic garden area that Andy may use for hay mulch, which he cuts using a scythe and rakes up by hand. The tool shed has electricity that powers and electric fence surrounding the historic garden area.

Turning Mill Farm produces certified organic mixed vegetables, as did the Concord Food Co-op Organic Gardens under Andy’s management. Andy was responsible for the organic certification with the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food until it ended its certification program in 2024. Since 2024, Turning Mill Farm has been certified organic through the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. Turning Mill Farm produces a range of vegetables throughout the season, including spinach, radishes, kale, arugula, chard, summer squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, fennel, carrots, beets, onion, garlic, and leeks. Turning Mill Farm specializes in producing lettuce mix using Salanova-style mini-heads; several farmers’ market customers report Turning Mill Farm’s lettuce mix as their favorite and customers are disappointed when we’re sold out. Therefore, we do our best to maintain a consistent supply of lettuce mix throughout the season, growing in the high tunnels during the early spring and late fall to extend supply as long as possible.

Turning Mill Farm is currently self-supporting financially. Startup costs were relatively minimal and were funded through Andy and Abby’s savings/Abby’s off-farm income. The business does not have any debts, nor do Andy or Abby personally. Turning Mill Farm’s gross and net income has increased each year, with net income estimate at $40,000 for 2025.

The Canterbury and Concord Farmers’ Markets provide a consistent sales base throughout the growing season. The Concord market runs from May through October while the Canterbury market runs from June through September. Canterbury is a smaller market with approximately 150-200 people each week. The Concord market can range from approximately 1,000-2,000 people each week. Despite the presence of other certified organic vegetable sellers at both markets, Turning Mill Farm attracts its fair share of customers. While Turning Mill Farm does not intend to undercut other vendors, Andy personally does not like to charge more for vegetables than what he’d want to pay himself, such that his prices are generally lower than those of other growers. Gross sales typically range from $500-750 per week at the Canterbury market and from $750-2,000 at the Concord market.

Future Goals

Since Abby is relocating to Maine for work, Andy would like to transition his vegetable growing operations to Maine in the next 1 to 2 years. Andy and Abby have high enough personal savings and credit scores to obtain conventional financing with a 20% down payment for a residential/farm property up to approximately $550,000. There is also potential to receive financial support from family. Andy and Abby have been interested in purchasing their own property for several years and the timing seems to make sense to finally buy given Abby’s job transition.

The ideal property will serve as both a primary residence for Andy and Abby and land for Andy’s vegetable growing business. Andy and Abby are relatively flexible with the location other than being within a 1-hour drive from Augusta since Abby must commute there at least twice per week. Andy would like to be able to continue growing mixed vegetables at a similar scale (~0.75 acres) with direct sales to customers. Andy is open to a CSA (with which he has experience from previous farm work), farmers’ market, and/or farm stand model, depending on what local market conditions permit. Since Abby has reliable off-farm income sufficient to support a mortgage payment, the farm income is not essential. However, Andy would like to continue having a self-sufficient vegetable growing business.

Andy expects that the first year at a new property will likely be dedicated to setting up infrastructure with minimal, if any, sales. This start-up year will entail preparing raised beds (presumably from sod/hayfield), installing two high tunnels plus a seedling house, building a wash and pack station, setting up an irrigation system, and installing a walk-in cooler (unless any of this infrastructure is already available). Funding for this infrastructure will come from a mix of loans and personal savings and is expected to be a maximum of $60,000. Andy and Abby anticipate being eligible for Farm Service Agency Direct Loans and/or Microloan.

The second year at a new property will be focused on market entry and establishing a customer base. By the third year, the farm business should be profitable.

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