The Quickley Produce Farm in Galena, MO is a true family affair. David and Terry Quick, along with their daughter Alisha (or “Pinky”) and her husband Russ, have owned and operated the hydroponic farm specializing in beautiful beefsteak, heirloom, and cherry tomatoes, as well as cucumbers. With an impressive 11-month growing season, they always welcome a helping hand from their grandchildren and Terry’s mother Pauline.
But it wasn’t always farming for the Quick family – they were in the concrete construction business for 30 years. After the housing market slowed during the 2000s recession, they began seeking a new venture to pursue. Growing up, David’s family had a tomato farm. They liked the idea of bringing the family business full-circle, while using a unique growing technique.
With hydroponics, growers can maximize the output of their crops in a limited space with an extended growing season. The plants grow in water with mineral-rich solutions, which eliminates the need for maintaining soil. Quickley Produce Farm grows nearly year-round, except for December when they clean out and sanitize each greenhouse before re-planting for the new year.
David explained a bit about how the greenhouses work. At the far end of the house is a “waterwall” containing a grid that is continuously circulating water, with a fan vaporizing the water to cool the plants. At the other end is another fan that pulls the vaporized water through the house. In addition, there is a complex arrangement of bato buckets where the roots are fed water and nutrients on a constant timer, and a pulley system for hanging vines before they are wound in manageable organization.
In addition to the complex network of hoses and cables, Quickley utilizes a little help of a small hive of bumblebees in each house. They float around and help pollinate each plant. Without the bees, they would have to pollinate each plant by hand, which David says, “gets old pretty quick!”
The day we visited, the family had harvested nearly 1,000 pounds of tomatoes. In their packing house, David explains the ripening process with all the beautiful reds, greens, and yellows scattered along long tables after they’re picked. They’ve figured out that every 8 foot section of a table holds roughly 250 pounds, so you can imagine how full things can get!
In the room next door they store the cucumbers. This is Pauline’s territory. At 83, she is responsible for handling all the cucumbers that leave the farm. She inspects and hand wipes each one before they are packaged, 50 per crate. “If it’s not something I would buy, I don’t send it,” Polly explains as she sorts through that morning’s haul.
The Quickley farm has already doubled in size since 2008. They currently operate out of 4 greenhouses and “still are not producing as much as they can sell,” says David. “It’s crazy.” And with new partnership to help provide local produce to Springfield Public Schools, they are weighing their options to expand further.
With summer in full swing, local produce is at its peak right now. Quickly is committed to maintaining their relationships with area markets and restaurants, providing them with consistent goods every week. By the end of the season, they will have grown, picked, and delivered over 45,000 pounds of tomatoes.
With just the month off in December ahead, it sounds like they won’t be taking it too easy. There’s a lot of work to be done and the Quick family will continue to do what they do best, grow.
