Spring at Vermillion Growers

 

April 19, 2020

 

It’s April, and the first full month of spring! The mild weather is certainly welcome, as it is a preface to an even more active construction season on our site! Of course, we are presented with some obvious challenges, which we are meeting head-on, and we wanted to share with you our progress building our state-of-the-art greenhouse in Dauphin, Manitoba!

 

As you have seen in our previous blog entries, we have made significant progress by building our warehouse. Manitoba has allowed construction on our site to continue as an essential service. The rules surrounding social distancing and how construction sites should operate during the COVID-19 situation are constantly changing, and we are doing everything possible to ensure the workers on our site are safe and remain healthy. Observing these rules has certainly slowed progress, as some processes have changed. However, we do our utmost to maintain efficiency, while following best practices as they evolve and keeping everyone safe. 

 

One positive thing to note is we actually expected slow progress in the beginning of spring because of weather, and factored this into our building schedule. Between the falling and melting of snow, the ground is quite soft - mushy to be blunt - and we anticipated this during our pre-construction phase.

 

Another positive note is the eager anticipation we are hearing from individuals, corporations, and the various levels of government regarding our project. While ensuring the availability of, and access to, food has always been one of our core values, food security has been thrust into the spotlight because of the realities we currently face due to COVID-19. Because growing tomatoes locally means being able to support our area even if borders close, we know that our plan for food supply is exactly what Dauphin, the Parkland, and Manitoba needs right now, and in the future.

 

 

In the meantime, all of us here at Vermillion Growers wish you the best. Stay safe and stay well!