Jack and Justin McKenney, the father and son duo of Sion House Farms in Farnham, Va., had both always aspired to having a family business.
Jack, a retired banker, and Justin, who worked for a well servicing company in Pittsburgh, Pa., both decided it was time for a fresh start. The goal was to build a structure on a pasture that has been in the family for 100 years.
“It’s a bit nostalgic,” Jack says. “We decided on hydroponic farming because my son wanted to do something close to the land. So here we are giving it a go.”
In March of 2015 they both attended one of CropKing’s hands-on hydroponic farming learning workshops. “It was really the first opportunity we had to see the reality of how you do things. And we came away pretty convinced that CropKing knew what it was doing, and that the people knew what they were doing. That’s certainly been proven true by the support we’ve gotten after the sale.”
The McKenneys purchased hydroponic systems from CropKing, planted their first crop — bok choy — in December 2015 and harvested the first week of March 2016.
“Since then we’ve harvested a number of other greens,” Jack says. “A summer mix, some bib, some red oak leaf, some romaine. We’ve got a little bit of arugula. And we’ve just begun harvesting English seedless cucumbers and cherry tomatoes.”
While the McKenneys were getting started, CropKing was there to help along the way. “I can tell you that Jeff Balduff has been here onsite twice,” Jack says. After pointing out areas in the greenhouse that needed fixed or improved, he came back to Virginia a second time to help a six-member team put the plastic covering on the greenhouse structure.
“Jeff knew exactly what to do, and where the people should stand, and who should pull on what and when. It really was a big help.”
Jack and Justin also have support at CropKing’s headquarters in Lodi, Ohio. “We’ve talked to Max Salinger [a CropKing horticulturist] probably at least once a week, and sometimes twice. Sometimes twice a day. And they’re always quick on the phone,” Jack says. “We send them pictures if something doesn’t look right to us, and they are very quick to diagnose or point us in the right direction.”
Recently, the McKenneys had an issue with aphids in the greenhouse, and put a call into CropKing. “I wasn’t quite sure what [the insects] were. I emailed [Salinger] a picture and he told me that they were cotton aphids. He walked me through a couple of prescriptions for taking care of it,” Justin says. “Within an hour, he had a response. I called him the next day and talked to him about beneficial insects and spray. Max has been working with me on it probably about the last two weeks.”
Jack says this is a testament to a company with interest in more than a sale. “You may have bought some things where the people were really happy to sell it to you, and then [when you need assistance], you can’t find anybody,” he says. “Jeff and Max—one of them or both of them are always available. We’ve been very pleased.”
Photos courtesy of Sion House Farms
Latest from Produce Grower
- The Growth Industry Episode 3: Across the Pond with Neville Stein
- PG CEA HERB Part 2: Analyzing basil nutrient disorders
- University of Evansville launches 'We Grow Aces!' to tackle food insecurity with anu, eko Solutions
- LettUs Grow, KG Systems partner on Advanced Aeroponics technology
- Find out what's in FMI's Power of Produce 2025 report
- The Growth Industry Episode 2: Emily Showalter on how Willoway Nurseries transformed its business
- 80 Acres Farms expands to Georgia, Texas and Colorado
- How BrightFarms quadrupled capacity in six months
