Hello Farm Family!
What a blessing it has been to receive a nice, wet, sun-filled spring. We have been jam packed busy at the farm with awesome projects and getting things planted and we just couldn’t be more excited for our upcoming CSA season. SO, we wanted to give our valued members a few quick updates on the farm!
CSA DELIVERY UPDATE
First off, just a reminder to look mark your calendars! Our first CSA delivery will be on July 12 from 5-7pm at Market Park in Rapid City or at the farm. Be on the lookout for an email at the end of the week with more details!
If you are new to our CSA...WELCOME! If you're a returning member, we can't wait to catch up and we are thankful you're returning for another season!! This year the CSA pickup will be independent from any Farmer's Market so we can enjoy being able to visit and get to know you all a bit more. ((YAY!))
If you chose the every-other week option at signup, your pickup may begin the following week. To check your CSA status and see your personal pickup schedule and location, you can log in to your Harvie account HERE.
Additionally, if you chose the payment plan option when you signed up, your next payment will be due on the first delivery day. This amount will be automatically deducted using the payment information you provided at signup and the amount due is half of your balance. The remaining amount, after this payment, will be deducted throughout the season on the day of each delivery. If you still have questions about what you owe for your CSA share, log into your Harvie account or see our CSA FAQ page.
PROGRESS
The last four seasons have been full of building projects! Starting any business takes hard work, time and investment...and farming is no different! One particular project we have been working towards for several years now is installing our irrigation systems. We are happy to say that we are nearing the end of this project. This spring we installed underground electrical and water supply lines to each section of our growing area, as well as an inline in-line injection system for feeding our plants nutrients and getting some healthy microbes into the soil. We installed control valves and software that allows us ultimate versatility... like watering on a schedule overnight. This is a major upgrade that has been in the works for a long time. We are excited to see this project come to fruition and we know the produce and soil will be better for it!!
This spring we installed a wood fired boiler for our small greenhouse which has enabled us to have a few crops earlier than normal...like tomatoes! We usually don't see a ripe tomato until sometime in mid to late August but we have been enjoying some already this year. Granted, we don't have a lot yet, but the rest are coming! We are looking forward to the potential to extend our season utilizing this new space.
CURRENT PROJECT
The main focus of our energy, currently (besides growing food), is erecting our packing shed. The packing shed is where we clean and store produce, pack CSA boxes and orders and house our supplies. It’s the hub of the farm! We have been operating out of a small shipping container for the last four seasons and are in desperate need of an upgrade! We have been furiously focused on getting this new packing shed functional before our CSA begins. We will be cutting it close.
We need helping hands! If you have any experience in the construction trades, you would be extra useful! However, God is great and hands are hands! Please reach out to us in a reply on email here or @ 545-0852 if you can make time to help us get this project rolling faster so we can have a sweet place to wash and prepare our bounties for our community.
It’s hard to ask for help sometimes, but we've been learning that many friends and members appreciate knowing when and how they can help. If, unfortunately, you don’t have time, we would also deeply appreciate a donation to help us afford materials and supplies to continue making our farm a success. We currently have a gofundme fundraiser @ https://www.gofundme.com/f/493n8-support-your-local-farmer?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer. with more details there.
Please feel free to share this link with your friends and family to help our network grow!
If you have any questions regarding your CSA share, projects we are working on, or even just our goals for the farm, please contact us! We are looking forward to seeing you all soon!
With gratitude,
Matt & Deidre Dealy (and kids)
