Marana farm owner picks up the pieces after storm destroys greenhouse

A Marana farm that supplied heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, lettuce and herbs to Southern Arizona restaurants and farmers markets is trying to recover after a monsoon storm destroyed its greenhouse, chicken coops and much of its harvest. For Tucson area residents who buy local produce or eat at restaurants that work with regional growers, the damage threatens more than one small business. It also removes a source of locally grown food at a time when Veggie Joy Farms says demand for those products remains greater than the supply.

Stacy Tollefson, the owner of Veggie Joy Farms, was on the property with her daughter when the storm struck on August 23. They were inside an RV as powerful winds pushed the door back, shook the vehicle and shattered glass. Tollefson said cabinets fell inside while she and her daughter were unable to leave safely. The conditions became so dangerous that they screamed inside the RV, with no clear place to go while the storm moved over the farm.

Tollefson believes the RV might have overturned if it had not been positioned beneath a shaded structure. She said the structure added enough weight to keep the vehicle in place, even as the storm pulled the greenhouse’s metal framework out of the ground. After the worst of the weather passed, Tollefson and her daughter ran to a neighboring property for shelter. When they returned, the greenhouse had collapsed, leaving the farm’s growing operation and produce buried beneath the wreckage.

The damage extended across the property. Reports said the storm destroyed the farm’s greenhouses and most of its chicken coops, while another account said one coop was lost. Tollefson said nearly all of the chickens survived, with only one reported dead. The storm also damaged or destroyed the owner’s home, according to the report describing the immediate aftermath. For Tollefson and her family, the destruction affected both the business that supported them and the place where they lived.

Veggie Joy Farms had been operating for about a year and a half. Tollefson ran the farm with her two children, growing a range of produce for farmers markets, restaurants and wholesale customers throughout Southern Arizona. Its business partners included Time Market, Coronet Restaurant and Pivot Produce. The farm’s greenhouse was central to that work, and the loss means the operation cannot simply resume normal production while the debris remains over the harvest and the growing infrastructure is gone.

The financial blow is especially severe because Tollefson had already invested her retirement savings in repairing problems left by earlier conditions at the greenhouse. She estimated the storm damage could reach six figures. She also said greenhouse insurance is extremely difficult to obtain, leaving the farm without coverage that could replace the structure or offset the lost crop. Without that protection, rebuilding will depend heavily on outside assistance and the farm’s ability to reconnect with its customers.

Tollefson initially said she was operating on shock and optimism, but the full emotional and financial weight of the disaster became clearer in the days afterward. Even so, she has said she does not want to leave farming. She believes she has the experience and practical knowledge to continue growing food and helping others, and she sees the support Veggie Joy Farms developed during its first year and a half as a reason to keep going rather than close.

That support is now being turned into a rebuilding effort. A GoFundMe campaign has been established for the owners, and the farm is also directing people who want to help to its website. Contributions could assist with removing the collapsed structures, replacing growing equipment, restoring animal housing and restarting production. Tollefson has emphasized that the farm’s customers and community have shown strong support, while also pointing to a broader need for more locally produced food in the Tucson area and across Southern Arizona.

The storm’s timing adds to the uncertainty for a farm already working to establish itself. Veggie Joy Farms had only recently built its relationships with markets, restaurants and wholesale buyers, and its greenhouse represented a major investment in that future. For now, the farm’s crop is under debris, its infrastructure is damaged and its owner is asking the community that bought its food to help preserve the operation. Tollefson’s goal is not simply to recover from one storm, but to rebuild Veggie Joy Farms so it can return to supplying the local customers who helped make the farm possible.