Cody Orchard farm stand to close

The farm stand, located in a barn built in the early 1900s, has been open for 12 years. The closure comes at a natural stopping point for the family, said Perry.

“The timing is nice,” she said. “This chapter will close as we all do our own thing.”

Her mother and step-father, Donna and Glen Cody, have been leasing the Odell orchard, which includes the barn that has housed the farm stand as well as 30 acres.

“Mom and Glen want to slow down,” said Perry. “They are farming 180 acres and they want to just farm the home piece (about 100 acres, located in Parkdale).”

Perry and her husband, Ricardo Galvez, recently purchased 14 acres in Duke’s Valley.

The farm stand has been a “wonderful foundation to help fuel my farming career forward. The experiences, relationships and knowledge gained will stick with me throughout my life. Thank you to everyone who was a part of those experiences,” she said.

But there is much she will miss, from vendors to the relationships her family has built over the years.

“I think those involved with the fruit stand would agree that it had a memorable energy,” she said.

“I love the customers, I love being the bridge between farmers and consumers,” said Perry. “I think the valley needs someone to continue advocating in one shape or another, and I’ll remain involved in the local food systems and community.”

As of now, the future of the farm stand is up in the air; the Odell location will definitely be closing, but another site may crop up in the future.

Perry suggests checking the Cody Orchard Facebook page for updates. There is also a contact list being compiled by the register.

“We want to thank everyone for making this an option for our family,” said Perry. “We couldn’t have done it without people coming in and making the choice to continue shopping with us.

“We’re only here because people chose to support this mission,” she said.

The farm stand will be open Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.