We've had to make some tough decisions in the last few days. With the record breaking warm spring we've had many of our crops that were meant to be ready at the beginning of June for the start of the veggie share CSA have come and gone. Greens that love the cool weather like mizuna, arugula, and some of our broccoli raab have gone to flower and we've now mowed them to prepare for re-seeding more crops.
We have had to shift some of our customers (that had smaller sized Personal Shares) to start their deliveries this week. And to make up for the losses in some of our crops we have had to shift everyone else to start 2 weeks later than planned.
We have also come to the very hard realization that we are not ready for a 125 share CSA... With the combining of two farms (Flat Tack with Sprout & Blossom Farm) we had to build so many more infrastructure upgrades and expand into many new fields that used to be covered in grass. It's almost like we've been starting a whole new farm on top of the farm we were already operating! The picture above shows our high tunnel that is almost ready to be covered in plastic so we can plant out our remaining tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and basil. We also had to repair the storage and event tent that collapsed in the snow storm in February. On top of those projects we took on a chicken operation of over 100 laying chickens and building a beautiful home for them in the pasture. We've also been expanding our wash station area, green house spaces, and storage areas to accommodate the collaborative effort of both farms. All the while, planting and getting beds ready for new crops.
We are contacting our farmer friends to try to source extra produce to make up for the shortages. However, we foresee that we may not be able to get enough to fulfill boxes and have enough items to make swaps and shares available to everyone. We want to make sure that you have ample choices this season and enough items to fill your veggie boxes!
We understand that times change, needs change, and monetary situations change. Because of this we would like to offer a voluntary full refund for anyone that would like to opt out of the CSA for the season. We would also like to request if anyone would like to change their order to a half share or every-other week share to please contact us so we can switch your order and refund you the difference. We will still have produce available throughout the season at our farm stand and the farmers market for people that want to opt out of the CSA but still have the option to buy produce.
This will help us balance our work and personal lives and make sure that we are not overworking ourselves and burning ourselves out so that we can continue to farm for many years.
Please email us at: FlatTackFarm@gmail.com if you would like to change or opt out of your share this season. We apologize greatly for any inconveniences this may cause and we thank you so much for your understanding and for supporting the farm!
With much love and gratitude- your farmers,
Lyndsay, Kelly & Patrick
