Ishpeming High School CTE Class Helps Skin The 2nd Hoophouse At The Community Farm
On a sunny spring day, the Ishpeming High School Applied Horticulture CTE class, Flipping the Food System, joined our Farm Manager, Food Access Manager, and Education Coordinator at the Community Farm to help put the plastic on the second hoophouse. To skin the hoophouse, the students worked together to toss ropes over the metal frame while teammates on the opposite side caught the ropes and pulled the plastic up and over the structure, completely enclosing it. They then helped secure the covering with wiggle wire and made sure the plastic was pulled tight and smooth. With their energy and teamwork, the whole process took just about an hour!
The CTE students played a crucial role in preparing this structure to support produce growing for our community during the 2026 season and beyond.
Hoophouses at the Community Farm
Skinning The First Hoophouse
In April of 2024, ahead of the inogural growing season at the Community Farm, Ishpeming High School students in Melissa Meldrum’s class helped put the plastic covering on the first hoophouse.
This hoophouse played a large part in growing ~9,400 lbs of food for our community over the past 2 years.
First Hoophouse Collapses
During a treacherous winter storm in 2026, the first hoophouse on our farm site collapsed under the weight of snow and ice on the plastic. We’re sad to lose that structure, but it will be replaced. In the meantime, our second hoophouse is allowing us to keep extending the growing season and produce even more food for the community.
