Where in the world is farmer Steve you may have been asking? I have to first apologize for not communicating with anyone much this past winter on the upcoming season. After a lot of soul searching I made the decision to start a bit later this season to reduce some of the risk and worries of starting too early. My CSA subscription program required an early start with the usual weekly deliveries starting in June. Switching to an online farm stand last year relieved me of that and has made it easier to operate with a smaller crew.
After the last several years not finding enough qualified people to hire on for the summer I’ve chosen to further downsize the scope of my annual crop growing plan. Crops too labor intensive and ones that have low market value are on my hit list. In light of that my farm stand selection may be less this year. What I’m planning to have will hopefully strike up an interest with you to continue buying those favored items from my farm.
The farm stand ordering protocol for the most part will be the same as last year. An order minimum of $25.00 will be required. You'll have the choice of either picking up your order at a convenient pick-up location, or opt for a home delivery. An additional charge of $7.00 for all home deliveries will now be added at checkout time. Notifications for a farm stand opening will be emailed to you on Fridays. You’ll have a couple days to finalize your order and deliveries will again be on Thursdays.
Thank you again for your longtime interest and support of Rare Earth Farm. All of these ongoing changes to the business over the last few years have been difficult for me to accept. For the longest time my life has been totally consumed by my interest and passion for farming. Now in my later days of life I’m feeling the necessity to create a greater balance between work and my personal life. That's probably going to be easier said than done. Let's keep the CSA idea alive for yet another season, and wish me luck! Better yet, good luck to us all!
Have a peaceful and prosperous summer!
Regards,
Farmer Steve
