MANCHESTER, Mich. – In the midst of all the dire news about Covid-19 it’s nice to know that life goes on and, for some at least, business goes on, too.

That is the case at Fusilier Family Farms in Manchester, Mich., a longstanding fruit and vegetable operation located in Southeastern Lower Michigan. Despite some challenges, Fusilier Family Farms has not only stayed in operation, it’s in the midst of conducting improvements on its operations.

Just last week the 220-acre farm operation was on the cusp of building a roughly one-acre high-tunnel structure that will help farm workers grow the numerous fruits and vegetables it will ultimately harvest and then sell at one of its farm market stores, or at one of the farmer’s markets it attends over the course of the season.

Farm owner Mike Fusilier said last Wednesday that he’d just received the materials he needed to build the structure, which is somewhat like a greenhouse. There was a delay in delivery, he said, because he had a hard time getting a trucker to deliver the materials, which were coming from a company called Tunnel Tech based in Quebec, Canada. He finally did get them, however. As of last Wednesday, he was also waiting on out-of-state help to get the structure put together. Fusilier said the $80,000 investment is the biggest investment he’s made so far in a farm improvement.

One of the advantages of the new high tunnel structure is that it will be connected to a thermometer and sensor. If the temperature goes up enough, the structure will go down automatically. The structure, much of which is made of  heavy plastic, will probably roll down in May or June, Fusilier added.

“I’m assuming it’s going to work fine, but this is the first time we’ve done it, so you never know,” he said last week. “We got the materials two weeks late, because we had trouble finding a trucker to haul it. We need to have this thing done in the next 10 days.”

His plan is to have the structure done in time for him to transplant his vegetable seedlings, which are growing right now in a greenhouse. The new structure will be 18 feet high, tall enough to drive a tractor through, and will be 200 feet by 200 feet, “about an acre,” Fusilier said. “We’re going to plant steak tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, sweet corn, green beans, peppers and egg plants.” A little later in the season he’ll also grow strawberries.

The farm also grows beets, radishes, potatoes, onions and lettuce, “anything,” Fusilier says, “we think we can make a little money on, we do it. A lot of guys don’t want to bother with it, but if we think we can make a little money on it, we grow it.”

Fusilier Family Farms is now into its sixth generation. Mike and Kathy Fusilier manage the farm with the help of their four children and their spouses. Most of the farm is devoted to the growing of high quality produce, however, they also grow and sell a large selection of flowers. The farm also has a community supported agriculture(CSA) program. The farm operation has two stores, one in Manchester, the other located in nearby Chelsea, Mich. The farm also attends a number of farm markets in the area.

The Manchester farm market store is located at 16400 Herman Rd., Manchester, Mich. 48158. The phone number is (734) 428-8982. A new second location is at 2000 Sager Rd., Chelsea, Mich. 48118. The phone number there is (734) 680-5379. The farm web site can be found at www.fusilierfamilyfarms.com/.