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COMMUNITY TAPESTRY<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER PHOTO / CONTRIBUTED<br />
Chris and Frank McGlynn married in 1971 and have worked together<br />
on Frank’s family farm for decades. They bought the farm in 1980 and<br />
raised three children there.<br />
They grow peppers, potatoes,<br />
tomatoes, cucumbers,<br />
intoryi (an African eggplant),<br />
zucchini, and green beans at<br />
eight locations, including six<br />
in Davenport and one each in<br />
Rock Island and Bettendorf.<br />
An important aspect of site<br />
selection is the availability<br />
of water, whether it’s yard<br />
hydrants, large tanks perched<br />
on hills, or spigots on the sides<br />
of buildings.<br />
“We try to grow in neighborhoods<br />
that are food deserts,”<br />
she said, where access<br />
to fresh produce and healthy<br />
proteins are more limited.<br />
A new development is a<br />
hydroponics location that can<br />
grow up to six tons of produce<br />
annually and will double or<br />
triple the nonprofit’s production<br />
capacity.<br />
A John Deere Foundation<br />
grant funded the 320-squarefoot<br />
unit, the infrastructure<br />
and a year of operating costs<br />
for a Freight Farms vertical<br />
growing unit – essentially a<br />
shipping container – located<br />
in the Quad City Botanical<br />
Center parking lot. Producing<br />
butterhead lettuce and other<br />
leafy greens initially, it will<br />
allow Tapestry to grow something<br />
year-round.<br />
An important component of<br />
Tapestry Farms is making sure<br />
people have healthy lives and<br />
access to education, mental<br />
and physical health care,<br />
transportation and more. As<br />
McGlynn said, “we’re building<br />
a community.”<br />
And there are opportunities<br />
for the community to get<br />
involved in the farming and<br />
other aspects.<br />
“We have work days, and<br />
we always welcome anyone to<br />
come to them. Vegetable farmers<br />
who have leftover crops<br />
they want to donate, we are<br />
happy to get those crops into<br />
the hands of people who could<br />
really use it,” she said.<br />
McGlynn feels that with<br />
Tapestry Farms, she’s come<br />
full-circle from growing up<br />
on a farm and seeing great<br />
examples of hard work and<br />
compassion.<br />
“I can’t imagine doing<br />
anything else. Everything I’ve<br />
experienced or done in my<br />
life has led to this,” McGlynn<br />
said. n<br />
Your retirement is too<br />
important to skip a second look<br />
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563.242.1885<br />
1210 19th Ave. NW<br />
Clinton<br />
Firstwealthfinancialgroup.com<br />
Securities offered through LPL Financial, member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advice offered through Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd., a registered investment<br />
advisor. Stratos Wealth Partners and First Wealth Financial Group are separate entities from LPL Financial.<br />
eifarmer.com SPRING 2024 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 87
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