By LINDA McGURK
Indiana Correspondent

COLFAX, Ind. — When This Old Farm Meats and Processing in Colfax, Ind., opened amid great fanfare last May, owners Erick and Jessica Smith were planning to make it a state-of-the-art, organic-certified, energy-efficient, custom-slaughter facility that would cater mainly to small family farms as well as “backyard” producers.

A rapidly spreading grease fire on Dec. 27 dealt a major blow to that mission. Now the Smiths are starting out the New Year trying to figure out how to rebuild their dream out of the smoldering ruins of the small processing plant.
“You’ve got to stay optimistic,” said Erick. “We’re not blaming God or anybody else for what happened.”

The fire started in the smokehouse around 2:30 p.m. and the flames spread quickly through the processing room and the rest of the plant, despite employees’ attempts to stop it.

Firefighters responded quickly to the emergency call and worked hard to contain the fire, but to no avail. At the end of the day, the plant was a total loss, but no employees or live animals were injured in the fire.
“Everybody’s safe, and that’s the first thing,” Erick said.

Hanging meat and frozen products valued at approximately $80,000 were destroyed due to smoke and chemical damage.

Some of the products belonged to members of This Old Farm Alliance, a producer network that the Smiths initiated in conjunction with the opening of the plant in order to market local, all-natural farm products under a common label.

“We are working to count our losses and to repay any losses to you our customers and Alliance members,” the farm’s blog stated the day after the fire.
“Please be patient with us as we work to get back on our feet. We assure you that we will work diligently to take care of your need for both financial restitution, as well as good meat for you and your family.”

But the Smiths have not let the devastation beat down their spirits, and they’re already working on finding a temporary location for their meat-processing needs to keep production running while the Colfax plant is being rebuilt. Erick, originally a construction engineer, has started working on a preliminary plan for rebuilding the plant and expects to seek bids from contractors in the near future. “Our goal is to reopen on June 1. In the interim we’re trying to fulfill orders and meet commitments that we’d already made. It’s business as usual for us,” he said.

Jessica met with Alliance members last week to discuss the new situation. “The Alliance will carry on with or without the facility and we’re working to assure people that we’ll go back to normal activity. The Alliance did very well last year and we sold from 48 different farms. I think we’ll continue to gain momentum.”
Though the plant was insured at the time of the fire, the insurance funds will not be sufficient to rebuild the plant, which Erick estimated could cost upwards of $1 million. “We may end up looking for bank financing for $400,000, but those are shoot-from-the-hip numbers.” And should rebuilding the plant turn out to be cost-prohibitive, the couple is exploring other options as well, including using a mobile unit for the slaughter and transporting the meat to a different location for processing.

Many of This Old Farm’s supporters have already contacted the couple and offered their help while the couple works on a new plan for the operation. On their blog, the Smiths pleaded for prayers as well as financial contributions toward the rebuilding of the plant. Pledges for restoration and supplies, meat processing equipment, office equipment and volunteers for cleanup are also welcome. The couple asked that any questions on how to help be e-mailed to: info@thisoldfarminc.com Jessica can also be reached on her cell phone: 765-918-2684.

“We’re doing OK,” said Jessica. “I always try to see a silver lining in everything and know that God has a plan. The mission continues, it’s just a question of how.”