Greetings CSA Members! This week’s box represents the end of another summer growing season here at Featherstone Farm. I am writing to thank you once again for your membership in our CSA program, and to update you on a few goings on at the farm this season.
Before I begin, however, I’d like to acknowledge what is likely the biggest change in how you as members have experienced the farm this summer… the introduction of the Harvie “box choice” CSA system. Patty, James, Nathan, Tanya and so many others worked tirelessly to make this transition happen on the farm side (thanks to all!). From all we’ve heard back from you, Harvie has been a big hit with the CSA membership in general; we sure hope it has resulted in better satisfaction and less waste than ever before. Patty will be sending out a final season end survey soon; please take the time to fill this out, to help us improve even more for 2020!
Like any farmer, I’ll start the “season review” with a quick weather and crop report. 2019 has been another roller coaster season, climate wise. But we’ve learned to survive (and even thrive!) under increasingly wet, hostile conditions in the field. Thank goodness!
Think way back to mid June, when weeks and weeks of cool grey spring weather meant that we had few ripe strawberries for the annual solstice Social… it was another late, wet spring! And yet by the middle of July we were launching into our best sweet corn season ever, with the first of three patches of transplanted corn (climate change adaptation takes many forms!).
An extended dry spell from late July into early September was key to the success of our season, I really believe. When it doesn’t rain, we can produce such beautiful, healthy crops here! I recall walking the CSA line around Labor Day marveling at how uniformly strong everything looked; the broccoli and beans, the melons and ripe bell peppers… everything.
The record setting rainfall since mid September took quite a bit of the shine off things for us, literally and figuratively. But we’ve managed to keep up despite it all, bringing in “bin busting” yields of carrots, beets and other storage crops; the late fall and winter ahead look good indeed.
But the life of a farm like Featherstone in general- and the experience of a CSA program in particular- is about much more than weather!! For me as farm owner and manager, it’s much more about the people involved. And here, the 2019 season will go down as among the most delightful and stress-free in memory. The field production, harvest, warehouse and repair shop teams each added a key person or two this year (welcome Ian and Robert, Steve and Ron! Bienvenidos a Luis, David, Alejandro y Moises!). But most of the crew remain experienced veterans, many of them 5-6+ year people. More than any other factor, their cumulative dedication, experience and flat-out hard work made 2019 a great season for me and, I hope, for you as a CSA member!
To top it all off, we celebrated not one but two weddings among the crew this summer; crop manager Stephanie Rock and operations supervisor Nathan Manfull. And warehouse coordinator James Mabry and his wife Becky had their second child (a girl!) in early September. For me, being part of such major steps in the lives of beloved employees such as these three (and many others as well!) is one of the great gifts of running this farm business.
But there were bittersweet moments in our farm lives as well. In May we bid farewell to repair shop coordinator Rich Schild, who retired after 9 years on the job. There are so many things to be said about Rich’s contributions to the farm culture (care for equipment!) and farm life (the dogs!!), I don’t know where to begin. Rich will be missed. Cancer and other health issues touched members of our community, on farm and surroundings; those of you reading this will know that my (all our…) best, best wishes are with you. On a personal note, this fall is the one year anniversary of the death of my good friend and farm co-conspirator Chris Blanchard. So richly and deeply I feel this loss, as the cranes, pelicans and tundra swans mass in the flyway over the Big River and head off for greener winter pastures.
Finally, I’d like to acknowledge that this box is the last regular summer share for many, many of you who signed up for “3 year sustaining shares” in the wake of the farm’s 2016 meltdown season. Thinking back on how far we’ve come since then- collectively, as a farm community- is truly humbling. I will be writing another installment of our “Featherstone Farm 3.0” update this week, detailing this progress, and sharing it with you by the end of the month. In the meantime, please accept our heartfelt thanks for your sustaining membership!!! In this case, I am quite sure we would not now be enjoying the fruits of another farm season, without the commitment and support you volunteered when we really needed it. THANK YOU!
The winter ahead will have its share of carrot washing and icy road deliveries (nobody’s favorite jobs, I’ll admit). But it will also have a good deal of new and exciting work in our freshly constructed high tunnels; tending fresh spinach and leafy greens in the ground in mid January has the potential to be truly delightful work (fingers crossed the learning curve on winter production is not too steep for us!). But there will surely be shorter hours, long walks in the snowy woods, and the prospect of travelling to Esteban and Maricella’s youngest daughter Josie’s quincenera celebration in Mexico in January to look forward to. Altogether a welcome respite from the 60+ hour weeks of the growing season behind us!!
Once again, my heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you for your CSA membership this summer (and upcoming winter!). With such truly dedicated people surrounding and inspiring us at Featherstone Farm, the future looks bright indeed.
Most Gratefully,
Jack Hedin
