roxbury farm
ROXBURY FARM [email protected]
august 18 2014 - pickup week # 11
www.roxburyfarm.com
Letter from a Farmer There was an op-ed in the New York Times last weekend titled “Don’t Let Your Children Grow Up to be Farmers”. I do not want to insult the author of the piece as I don’t know his story or his struggles to start his own farming operation. Starting a farm is very difficult. It requires many long days with not a lot of money coming back to the farm. It can seem like there is no end to the work in sight. There are very few places to turn to for help. But, I don’t feel that things are so hopeless that I will try to dissuade our three children from farming if they choose to follow that path. Reading in his letter that 91% of farms rely on off-farm income and that the median farm income is down over $1000 in 2013 is discouraging at face value. Reading the USDA reports puts things in a different perspective. According to the USDA; “Because of the broad definition of a farm-which includes numerous small operations that produce little or no agricultural commodities in any given year – most farm households earn all of their income from nonfarm sources.” Many landowners call themselves a farm because a farmer makes hay on their land or grazes a few cows. This helps reduce the landowners’ property taxes or income taxes. People with a hobby farm, that isn’t supposed to make money but provides quality of life, can also be included in the USDA’s surveys. It is difficult to get a real picture of what is happening in agriculture on the ground when looking at the information collected by the USDA. The USDA does the best they can but they are dealing with so many farmers, each with their own definition of what a farm is and what making a profit from their farm means. Making a year-round income in the short growing season of the Northeast is hard. Farmers are very creative with season extension and storage of crops for winter markets but it is a real challenge. Earning 12 months of income in a six to eight month growing season is stressful. Off- farm income can sometimes be less stressful than winter growing or relying on the six months of farm income to stretch for a whole year. We personally know many beginning farmers who rely on one or both of the farmers’ off-farm income to make ends meet for the first years of farming. Jean-Paul had a winter job for the first three years of Roxbury Farm. It took him three years to get the farm to a scale that could support a year-round income. When the farm moved to new land in 2000, Jean-Paul had a consulting job to help pay for the farm transition and scaling up to the appropriate size for the new land. Farms need to reach a certain scale to earn enough income to support the farm and the farmers. For most farmers staying at a scale (con’t p. 2)
Diakon growing on hills.
The steers resting in their shade structure.
2 (letter con’t) of one to five acres is going to require an off-
farm income. Another reason this off-farm income is part of life for farmers is due to the price of land. Purchasing farm land at market value can put such a burden of debt on a farm that most of the farm income goes to mortgage payments. Farmers in this situation are always going to struggle to scale up as they can’t afford necessary equipment or labor to make the needed changes to their farm operation. This burden needs to be shared by farmers and the communities where they live. Agriculture keeps land open and is what makes the Hudson Valley a beautiful place to live and visit. Farmers should not be the only ones paying for this important service to our landscape. Equity Trust and the Open Space Institute shared the costs of the purchase of a new farm with Roxbury Farm so that we wouldn’t be under a mountain of debt when we moved in 2000. Equity Trust created a model that divides up the different aspects of land ownership among different parties. Chuck Matthei, who founded Equity Trust, felt that land should not be a commodity to be bought and sold. The land should not be something a farmer uses to cash out when they retire. Land should be protected for agriculture and remain affordable for family-scale farms. Open Space Institute holds the development rights to our farm. OSI uses charitable donations and grants to purchase the development rights on land which reduces the purchase price for the farmer. Equity Trust holds the title to the land (paid for by charitable donations raised by Roxbury Farm members) and gave Jean-Paul and me a 99-year lease on the land. We own the house and the other above ground improvements. When we retire we can only devise the lease to a family-scale farmer who also purchases the house and improvements. We agreed to sell the house and improvements at a rate that is affordable to a farmer. We will not be able to retire on selling out the farm. There are other creative models like this available to farmers, but we need to make it more of the norm rather than a traditional bank mortgage. People who eat from the land also need to be involved and farmers have to give up on the possibility of selling their farm to the highest bidder when they retire. This arrangement keeps land in agriculture, keeps it affordable, and the cost of the land and affordability is shared by the farmers and the community. Our farm has been able to purchase equipment, hire a great farm crew, and scale the farm to a size that supports us living and working on the farm. If we would have had to purchase the land at market value we wouldn’t be here today. The author wrote about the difficulties of finding a good place to market farm products these days. When Jean-Paul started Roxbury Farm in 1990 he and the couple of other farms in the area had to create a market from
COMING NEXT WEEK (OUR BEST GUESS): sweet corn, salad mix, head lettuce, small tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, eggplant, bell peppers, carmen sweet peppers, green beans, hot peppers, mustard greens and cilantro. Fruit: peaches CHICKEN SHARE DELIVERY: the 2nd chicken share delivery will be this week Aug 19—Aug 22. BEEF SHARE DELIVERY CHANGES: We had to delay our butcher dates for our steers. This changes the date for the 2nd Beef Share delivery to the week of Oct. 6 and the 3rd Beef Share delivery to the week of Nov. 17. Please let us know if these weeks won’t work for you and we will hold your share. scratch and figure out how to make organic farming work in the Hudson Valley. It was tough going. Then in mid- 2000 the market blossomed and farmers couldn’t meet the demand. We had a long waiting list for our CSA shares. Farmers could charge high prices because the demand outweighed the supply. Beginning farmers had the support and knowledge of the older farmers in their neighborhood and a market waiting at their doorsteps. Then the last couple of years the market became saturated with farmers charging $3.50 a lb for potatoes or $6.00 for a lb of beans. There are CSAs in every neighborhood. Farmers need to be creative again to find their own niche in the market; to really find out what the consumer needs and wants before they start growing fruits and veggies. Another farm growing the same things as the other five farms in the immediate area just isn’t going to work anymore. Seeing our neighbors as competition isn’t good for our movement. There are plenty of customers who need good food. We (farmers and eaters) need to make the next step to create a new way to connect our food production with the customers. Beginning farmers and experienced farmers need professional training opportunities, good research, and strong advocates. In the article the author states that it isn't fair that production farmers are forced to compete with non-profit farming organizations like the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture. Usually these (con’t p. 3)
3 (letter con’t) organizations have a very limited audience for their products. Instead I feel that these organizations are our allies in changing the way we think about food and food production. Stone Barns offers much needed educational opportunities for beginning farmers. Farming is a difficult profession that requires skills in many areas: from marketing & business management, understanding how to raise 40 different crops, vet skills and animal management, to mechanic and construction skills. To become a successful farmer you need good training. You also need educated consumers who are willing to pay for the cost of food production. These non-profits also focus on improving access to fresh produce and educating children and adults about the importance of locally produced food. Stone Barns, the Glynwood Center, Growing Power, and places like these, with their large endowments and/or grant monies, are not competing with us in the market place. They are providing services that benefit all of us. I agree with the author that farmers need to work together and, with our customers, make the food system a kinder place for everyone. That is where the CSA movement started. Customers recognized that farmers weren’t getting a fair price for their products which meant that farmers couldn’t treat the farm workers, themselves, the land, or the livestock the way they should be treated. Farmers knew that the customers needed higher quality, fresher produce, and to be reconnected to the land that produces their food. CSA was never meant to be a high priced way to market produce and other farm products. CSA is about the relationship between the farm and the customer, the dialogue between them to make sure all parties’ needs are met, and the mutual benefit for everyone involved. The mainstream system of food production and the commodity system run by our government really don’t work for anyone. The evidence is everywhere: polluted water, the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, eroded soil, sick and obese children and adults, food deserts, poorly paid farm workers, over worked farmers, livestock raised in appalling conditions, and the list goes on. The pioneers of the organic and sustainable farming movement wanted things to be different and they laid the foundation for a different way of producing food and making a life from the land. These pioneers continue to work on farms, in the markets, and kitchens and as advocates for change. To honor and build on what they started we need to work together: on land ownership that makes sense, on providing real professional training for farmers, on creating new ways to connect our food to customers, and on improving our farming practices so we truly are sustainable. I feel privileged to be part of this movement and I welcome anyone who wants to lend their hands to this work. ~Jody
ROASTED SPAGHETTI SQUASH Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. With a small sharp knife, prick squash all over. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until tender when pierced with knife, about 1 hour 20 minutes, flipping halfway through. When cool enough to handle, halve lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Scrape squash with a fork to remove flesh in long strands so it looks like pasta. Then add: 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 shallots, diced small 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves 3/4 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan Coarse salt and ground pepper In a large nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium. Add shallots and garlic and cook until softened, 7 minutes. Stir in thyme and rosemary and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add squash and toss to combine. Cook until warmed through. Stir in parsley and Parmesan and season with salt and pepper. www.marthastewart.com/873339/roasted-squashparmesan-and-herbs#Spaghetti%20Squash% 20Recipes|/275670/spaghetti-squash-recipes/ @center/276955/seasonal-produce-recipe-guide|873339
Onions curing in the greenhouse. We have about 20,000 lbs of onions for fall and winter shares.
august 18 2014 - pickup week # 11
www.roxburyfarm.com
Letter from a Farmer There was an op-ed in the New York Times last weekend titled “Don’t Let Your Children Grow Up to be Farmers”. I do not want to insult the author of the piece as I don’t know his story or his struggles to start his own farming operation. Starting a farm is very difficult. It requires many long days with not a lot of money coming back to the farm. It can seem like there is no end to the work in sight. There are very few places to turn to for help. But, I don’t feel that things are so hopeless that I will try to dissuade our three children from farming if they choose to follow that path. Reading in his letter that 91% of farms rely on off-farm income and that the median farm income is down over $1000 in 2013 is discouraging at face value. Reading the USDA reports puts things in a different perspective. According to the USDA; “Because of the broad definition of a farm-which includes numerous small operations that produce little or no agricultural commodities in any given year – most farm households earn all of their income from nonfarm sources.” Many landowners call themselves a farm because a farmer makes hay on their land or grazes a few cows. This helps reduce the landowners’ property taxes or income taxes. People with a hobby farm, that isn’t supposed to make money but provides quality of life, can also be included in the USDA’s surveys. It is difficult to get a real picture of what is happening in agriculture on the ground when looking at the information collected by the USDA. The USDA does the best they can but they are dealing with so many farmers, each with their own definition of what a farm is and what making a profit from their farm means. Making a year-round income in the short growing season of the Northeast is hard. Farmers are very creative with season extension and storage of crops for winter markets but it is a real challenge. Earning 12 months of income in a six to eight month growing season is stressful. Off- farm income can sometimes be less stressful than winter growing or relying on the six months of farm income to stretch for a whole year. We personally know many beginning farmers who rely on one or both of the farmers’ off-farm income to make ends meet for the first years of farming. Jean-Paul had a winter job for the first three years of Roxbury Farm. It took him three years to get the farm to a scale that could support a year-round income. When the farm moved to new land in 2000, Jean-Paul had a consulting job to help pay for the farm transition and scaling up to the appropriate size for the new land. Farms need to reach a certain scale to earn enough income to support the farm and the farmers. For most farmers staying at a scale (con’t p. 2)
Diakon growing on hills.
The steers resting in their shade structure.
2 (letter con’t) of one to five acres is going to require an off-
farm income. Another reason this off-farm income is part of life for farmers is due to the price of land. Purchasing farm land at market value can put such a burden of debt on a farm that most of the farm income goes to mortgage payments. Farmers in this situation are always going to struggle to scale up as they can’t afford necessary equipment or labor to make the needed changes to their farm operation. This burden needs to be shared by farmers and the communities where they live. Agriculture keeps land open and is what makes the Hudson Valley a beautiful place to live and visit. Farmers should not be the only ones paying for this important service to our landscape. Equity Trust and the Open Space Institute shared the costs of the purchase of a new farm with Roxbury Farm so that we wouldn’t be under a mountain of debt when we moved in 2000. Equity Trust created a model that divides up the different aspects of land ownership among different parties. Chuck Matthei, who founded Equity Trust, felt that land should not be a commodity to be bought and sold. The land should not be something a farmer uses to cash out when they retire. Land should be protected for agriculture and remain affordable for family-scale farms. Open Space Institute holds the development rights to our farm. OSI uses charitable donations and grants to purchase the development rights on land which reduces the purchase price for the farmer. Equity Trust holds the title to the land (paid for by charitable donations raised by Roxbury Farm members) and gave Jean-Paul and me a 99-year lease on the land. We own the house and the other above ground improvements. When we retire we can only devise the lease to a family-scale farmer who also purchases the house and improvements. We agreed to sell the house and improvements at a rate that is affordable to a farmer. We will not be able to retire on selling out the farm. There are other creative models like this available to farmers, but we need to make it more of the norm rather than a traditional bank mortgage. People who eat from the land also need to be involved and farmers have to give up on the possibility of selling their farm to the highest bidder when they retire. This arrangement keeps land in agriculture, keeps it affordable, and the cost of the land and affordability is shared by the farmers and the community. Our farm has been able to purchase equipment, hire a great farm crew, and scale the farm to a size that supports us living and working on the farm. If we would have had to purchase the land at market value we wouldn’t be here today. The author wrote about the difficulties of finding a good place to market farm products these days. When Jean-Paul started Roxbury Farm in 1990 he and the couple of other farms in the area had to create a market from
COMING NEXT WEEK (OUR BEST GUESS): sweet corn, salad mix, head lettuce, small tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, eggplant, bell peppers, carmen sweet peppers, green beans, hot peppers, mustard greens and cilantro. Fruit: peaches CHICKEN SHARE DELIVERY: the 2nd chicken share delivery will be this week Aug 19—Aug 22. BEEF SHARE DELIVERY CHANGES: We had to delay our butcher dates for our steers. This changes the date for the 2nd Beef Share delivery to the week of Oct. 6 and the 3rd Beef Share delivery to the week of Nov. 17. Please let us know if these weeks won’t work for you and we will hold your share. scratch and figure out how to make organic farming work in the Hudson Valley. It was tough going. Then in mid- 2000 the market blossomed and farmers couldn’t meet the demand. We had a long waiting list for our CSA shares. Farmers could charge high prices because the demand outweighed the supply. Beginning farmers had the support and knowledge of the older farmers in their neighborhood and a market waiting at their doorsteps. Then the last couple of years the market became saturated with farmers charging $3.50 a lb for potatoes or $6.00 for a lb of beans. There are CSAs in every neighborhood. Farmers need to be creative again to find their own niche in the market; to really find out what the consumer needs and wants before they start growing fruits and veggies. Another farm growing the same things as the other five farms in the immediate area just isn’t going to work anymore. Seeing our neighbors as competition isn’t good for our movement. There are plenty of customers who need good food. We (farmers and eaters) need to make the next step to create a new way to connect our food production with the customers. Beginning farmers and experienced farmers need professional training opportunities, good research, and strong advocates. In the article the author states that it isn't fair that production farmers are forced to compete with non-profit farming organizations like the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture. Usually these (con’t p. 3)
3 (letter con’t) organizations have a very limited audience for their products. Instead I feel that these organizations are our allies in changing the way we think about food and food production. Stone Barns offers much needed educational opportunities for beginning farmers. Farming is a difficult profession that requires skills in many areas: from marketing & business management, understanding how to raise 40 different crops, vet skills and animal management, to mechanic and construction skills. To become a successful farmer you need good training. You also need educated consumers who are willing to pay for the cost of food production. These non-profits also focus on improving access to fresh produce and educating children and adults about the importance of locally produced food. Stone Barns, the Glynwood Center, Growing Power, and places like these, with their large endowments and/or grant monies, are not competing with us in the market place. They are providing services that benefit all of us. I agree with the author that farmers need to work together and, with our customers, make the food system a kinder place for everyone. That is where the CSA movement started. Customers recognized that farmers weren’t getting a fair price for their products which meant that farmers couldn’t treat the farm workers, themselves, the land, or the livestock the way they should be treated. Farmers knew that the customers needed higher quality, fresher produce, and to be reconnected to the land that produces their food. CSA was never meant to be a high priced way to market produce and other farm products. CSA is about the relationship between the farm and the customer, the dialogue between them to make sure all parties’ needs are met, and the mutual benefit for everyone involved. The mainstream system of food production and the commodity system run by our government really don’t work for anyone. The evidence is everywhere: polluted water, the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, eroded soil, sick and obese children and adults, food deserts, poorly paid farm workers, over worked farmers, livestock raised in appalling conditions, and the list goes on. The pioneers of the organic and sustainable farming movement wanted things to be different and they laid the foundation for a different way of producing food and making a life from the land. These pioneers continue to work on farms, in the markets, and kitchens and as advocates for change. To honor and build on what they started we need to work together: on land ownership that makes sense, on providing real professional training for farmers, on creating new ways to connect our food to customers, and on improving our farming practices so we truly are sustainable. I feel privileged to be part of this movement and I welcome anyone who wants to lend their hands to this work. ~Jody
ROASTED SPAGHETTI SQUASH Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. With a small sharp knife, prick squash all over. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until tender when pierced with knife, about 1 hour 20 minutes, flipping halfway through. When cool enough to handle, halve lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Scrape squash with a fork to remove flesh in long strands so it looks like pasta. Then add: 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 shallots, diced small 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves 3/4 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan Coarse salt and ground pepper In a large nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium. Add shallots and garlic and cook until softened, 7 minutes. Stir in thyme and rosemary and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add squash and toss to combine. Cook until warmed through. Stir in parsley and Parmesan and season with salt and pepper. www.marthastewart.com/873339/roasted-squashparmesan-and-herbs#Spaghetti%20Squash% 20Recipes|/275670/spaghetti-squash-recipes/ @center/276955/seasonal-produce-recipe-guide|873339
Onions curing in the greenhouse. We have about 20,000 lbs of onions for fall and winter shares.
