Rand Faaborg, the farm’s patriarch, said the $400,000 debt that financed two new hog barns was paid off in 12 years, but changing market conditions forced a rethink. The family joined the USDA‑backed Transfarmation Project in 2021, and in 2023 the program awarded them a $15,000 research grant to test mushroom cultivation in the existing structures. The first crop of lion’s mane and oyster mushrooms was harvested in March 2024, and the Faaborgs launched 1100 Farm, offering fresh produce and value‑added items such as tinctures, flavored salts, coffee and hot chocolate. A New York Times feature in 2025 triggered nearly 1,000 orders in the days that followed, lifting sales sharply. The family now plans to repurpose the second barn for microgreens and to widen fresh‑mushroom distribution through local farmers’ markets. Maria Lopez, a nearby restaurant owner, now sources the mushrooms for her menu, turning a once‑dry barn into a new culinary staple.