Small, Community-Supported Farms Making Big Impact in the Local Agriculture

Between meals in the farmhouse at Full Heart Farm in Ledyard, the large kitchen table turns into the epicenter of farm planning for the upcoming growing season. “Work on the farm slows down in the winter,” says Farmer Allyson Angelini, “but it never stops. It takes months to plan the complex schedule of planting, harvesting, fertilizing, and marketing our produce.”

Full Heart Farm sells nearly 100% of what they grow through their MarketShare program. Members join the farm for the season, and visit each week to pick out a selection of farm-grown goods. It is an adaptation to the popular Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) model, where consumers purchase a share of the harvest for the upcoming season in exchange for a weekly selection of produce, meat, and other locally grown products.

It is this type of community-supported agriculture that is allowing first-generation farmers like Angelini to establish flourishing farms that truly feed the community. The upfront payment for the shares allows the farmer to purchase seeds and other supplies without taking on debt. It also builds a connection between growers and eaters. “When we run into our members off of the farm they introduce us as ‘our farmers’ just like they would their doctor or teacher,” says Angelini. “We feel really proud to be able to connect people to their food that way.”

The CSA has been an invaluable asset to the local food movement since it was first introduced to the US in the 1980s. Now, over 6,000 farms across the country have adopted the business model to grow food for their communities. “We advocate for any type of marketing that helps people to support local agriculture, but for us, a CSA is the most authentic connection,” says Angelini, “In feeding people over the course of the season we get to know our families, teach them how to cook local food, and help them to make eating seasonally an essential part of their healthy lifestyle.”

The concept of a CSA is not new to the area. Farmers Teresa and Rob “Digga” Schacht of Hunts Brook Farm in Quaker Hill are entering their tenth season growing for CSA members. “It began as a way to distribute our surplus vegetables to family, friends and neighbors,” says Digga, “but now it’s the cornerstone of our business.”

The Schachts, like most CSA farmers, grow dozens of different varieties of vegetables over the course of the growing season so that there are always new varieties to look forward to each week.

Some growers expand on that connection to the farm even further. “We are offering you-pick herbs, flowers and strawberries to our members who pick up on the farm this summer,” says Farmer Baylee Drown, who operates Upper Pond Farm in Lyme-Old Lyme. “It’s a great way for our members to connect to the farm and get the freshest possible products.”

For most members that biggest connection comes in the form of a weekly newsletter. “As a shareholder, you receive an email newsletter updating you on what is going on around the farm and our crop outlook,” says Farmers Kerry and Max Taylor of Provider Farm in Salem. They also share recipes and cooking ideas for how to best use your share.

For Farmer Andy Meek, entering his first growing season operating a CSA at Stone Acres Farm in Stonington, it is also that connection between farming and eating that truly builds relationships through CSA. “Farming is such a wonderful adventure,” says Meek. “CSAa are a vital way to support the incredible possibilities of local agriculture.”

The kitchen table at Full Heart Farm will be where the first seeds of the season are planted next week. “Thanks to the early season support of our members, we are entering the growing season full of excitement. We are confident we are planting what they like and that there is a community of people surrounding us,” says Angelini. “There’s just no better feeling.”

For information on the CSA farms above contact:

Full Heart Farm, Allyson Angelini, http://www.fullheartfarm.com/

Hunts Brook Farm, Teresa + Rob Schacht, https://huntsbrookfarm.wordpress.com/

Provider Farm, Kerry + Max Taylor, https://www.providerfarm.com/

Stone Acres Farm, Andy Meek, http://www.stoneacresfarm.com/

Upper Pond Farm, Baylee Drown, http://www.upperpondfarm.com/