Free Rivers Farm says electric TeraTek harvester slashed harvest time and supports scaling plans
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Summary
Misha Johnson of Free Rivers Farm told the Working Lands Board that a TeraTek baby-leaf harvester purchased with a Working Lands award reduced harvest time for some herb beds from hours to about 10–15 minutes, improving productivity and worker well-being as the farm aims to increase dried-herb output from ~800 to ~2,000 pounds annually.
Misha Johnson, operator of Free Rivers Farm and Apothecary in Chelsea, told the Working Lands Board that a baby-leaf harvester (TeraTek) funded through a Working Lands award substantially improved efficiency on the farm and made it easier to scale production.
Johnson said Free Rivers cultivates roughly two acres of herbs (on a 38-acre property that mixes field and forest), and that the electric harvester allowed the crew to harvest a bed in "10 or 15 minutes" compared with three to four person-hours by hand. "Everybody on our crew was just blown away with just how quick it was," she said, adding that the machine is electrically powered and quieter with no fumes.
The farm produces a mix of cultivated and wildcrafted herbs — from spearmint and oregano to calendula and chamomile — and processes plant material in a solar-powered drying barn completed in 2022. Johnson told the board that a 100-pound fresh leaf harvest typically dries to about 10 pounds of finished leaf product for many leaf crops (roughly a 10% yield by weight). She said Free Rivers currently dries about 800 pounds of herbs per year and aims to reach nearly 2,000 pounds over the next five years.
Johnson also described market relationships and distribution channels: Free Rivers sells at a retail shop in downtown Chelsea and wholesale through online marketplaces (FAIR and Mable) and distributors including FoodConnex and Acorn Food Hub. She said the harvester helped the farm meet demand from regional buyers such as Vermont Bean Crafters.
Board members praised the example as a case where a relatively modest Working Lands investment produced outsized operational impact for a small operation. The committee discussed collecting standardized outcome data in final reports (jobs created, increased sales, productivity gains) and signaled staff follow-up on data fields.
Sources: Direct remarks from Misha Johnson during the Working Lands Board presentation (transcript segments beginning SEG 612 through SEG 846).