THE LOCAL HARVEST The Newsletter of Honey Brook Organic Farm CSA, February, 2012
2012 MEMBERSHIPS STILL AVAILABLE – Sherry Dudas
There are still some 2012 memberships available for our Boxed Share program and at our Distribution Center in Chesterfield. We do, however, believe we will be sold out by March, so please get your applications in ASAP.
Lease Transfer
In other news, in January Farmer Jim transferred the lease he had on a farm located on Rt. 654 in Hopewell Township to Jess Niederer, a current part-time employee and proprietor of Chickadee Creek Farm in Hopewell. This farmland is owned by the Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space (FoHVOS) and is certified organic by the NJ Department of Agriculture. We are proud of the work we accomplished there; negotiating reasonable lease terms with FoHVOS, which allowed us to convert additional acreage in Hopewell Township to organic production, and starting a small compost area with the assistance of Hopewell Boro’s Public Works Department. FoHVOS has always been a pleasure to work with, and our hope is that Jess and FoHVOS have a long, fruitful and mutually beneficial relationship.
Employment Opportunities
We are still looking for an assistant farm manager, as well as farm stand attendants for both our Chesterfield and Pennington farms, and a part time experienced, professional truck driver for our Boxed Share deliveries (no CDL is required). If you have an interest in applying for any of these positions, please email susan@honeybrookorganicfarm.com for more details.
Seed and Supply Orders
Farmer Jim completed the farm’s seed order in January. Jess helped him get the orders in in a timely manner and also gave him some tips on how he can more efficiently order seed online. We are happy to report that we will be planting parsnips for the first time in our 21-year history as a result of member requests.
We have also been busy making the annual trips to Lancaster to pick up irrigation and harvest supplies. Now that Chip is a little older, he no longer barks uncontrollably at the Amish horse-drawn carriages on the side of the road, making the trips much more pleasant!
History of Share Sizes
Recently a long-standing member raised the issue of share size portions being changed over the years. Several years ago, Farmer Jim did an economic analysis with respect to the amount of profit he was making from the two-family shares (that was the only share size available back then, and required two families to share a share). He realized he was only making about $10 profit per share, and at that rate the farm was not economically sustainable. He discontinued the two-family share, and offered a family share instead. He then decreased the produce amounts given per share; otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to stay in business. I remember he wrote a letter to members at the time, explaining why he did what he did and we braced for members to leave in droves. Some did, but that year we had the highest rate of return members re-sign, and at a faster rate. I think members appreciated being told about Farmer Jim’s economic analysis. Now it’s becoming harder for us to get members to even read newsletters and open and read emails. Apparently, “long form” is going the way of the horse drawn plow!
After offering the family share for a few years, we began to hear feedback from members saying that share size had become too large for their needs. Older members, empty nesters and singles also indicated they wanted a share size that was more manageable for them, so we began offering an Individual share in addition to the Family Share. We also began offering a Boxed Share option, where members can choose to pick-up a pre-packed bushel box of produce in their neighborhoods rather than picking up at the Pennington farm. We saw this option as a way to increase our membership while not increasing customer trips to the Pennington farm. We also felt that, should we lose our farm lease (at that time, our lease was short-term), we could still provide shares to a portion of our CSA members with produce grown on other farmland managed by us. In fact, many CSAs throughout the country only offer Boxed Shares rather than on-farm pick up.
It has been several years now since we’ve been offering three share sizes – Individual and Family shares at the Chesterfield and Pennington farms and the Boxed Shares at over twenty locations throughout New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. We have had members who may start with pick-up at one of the farms, but then in later years, switch to a Boxed Share for the sake of convenience. We have also had Boxed Share members move closer to the farm, and then switch to on-farm pick up. For the most part, we feel the variety of options meets the needs of most members, as well as those of the farmers and staff.
Chip the Farm Dog Helps Chase “Chase” Home
Living in the country has its surprises. This was the case one frosty morning after New Years Day, when Farmer Jim came into the farmhouse and said, “I guess our barn is like a manger, because I could swear some kind of calf just flew out of it!” Since we don’t have livestock, this was quite startling. A few weeks before, a farmer neighbor stopped by to see if we had seen his zebu. “Zebu? What’s a zebu?” I asked. He quickly explained that it looked a bit like a calf in size and was a grayish color. I told him I would keep an eye out for it, and then we bartered his eggs for our cauliflower and kohlrabi.
After Farmer Jim’s “brush with zebu”, I called this farmer neighbor and let him know we saw his zebu on our farm and he said he and his helpers were going to try and catch it. That effort came to naught, since about a week later he stopped by to say the zebu was seen on a neighboring farm and that they were planning to bait it with food and asked that we continue looking for it.
On a frigid morning later that week, I was walking with Chip on the farm, when I inadvertently flushed up the zebu, which was in a briar patch adjacent to our creek. Chip quickly gave chase and there was absolutely no way I could call Chip off. By the time Farmer Jim and I caught up with Chip, he had chased the zebu for about a mile, and was barking at and circling it, but not harming the zebu. Since he is part Border collie, it’s in his nature to herd, but not to harm. We got Chip in the car, leaving the zebu, and later called the farmers. I gave them the location of the zebu and told them that Chip had certainly tired the zebu out, so perhaps that afternoon would be a good time to try and catch it. I offered our help, should they decide to do a “round up” of the zebu.
About an hour later, I got a call from Anne Marie, one of the zebu’s farmers, saying she had rustled up a few neighbors to help catch the zebu and asked if Jim and I could join them. We agreed, and brought Chip with us in case his herding talents were needed. The zebu was in a field with deer fence on three sides. Our job was to close off the opening in the fence with a line of people and slowly press in on the zebu, forcing him to go into a small opening in the fence in which a trailer with a cow was positioned. The cow was bellowing, doing her part to lure in the zebu. The line of people included adults and children, and were either neighbors or relatives of the farmers. At first, the zebu looked anxious, as he surveyed the line of people getting closer and closer. He appeared to be assessing who was the “weak link” in the chain, so he could break through and once again be free. Some of us changed position, making it harder for the zebu to escape. Anne Marie told me how hard it was to catch the zebu in the past and said a neighbor has even begun to call the zebu “Chase” in light of his apparent delight in being chased! At last, the cow gave one long bellow and the zebu quickly turned tail and scooted into the trailer, safe at last! The captors cheered and let out a big round of applause, and I think I saw one of the farmers wipe a tear from his eyes!
Later on when I researched zebus, I found that they were bred for the warmth of Asia. If this zebu was not caught, he probably would not have made it through a New Jersey winter. Chip’s inherent need to herd helped get Chase to the comfort of his farm before severe winter weather set in. Chip provided this farm community with a valuable service, which more than makes up for the “dog at large” ticket filed against him earlier that week by Chesterfield Police Patrolman Jeff Joy!
Community Outreach
I have a full schedule of public talks coming up this winter. In February, I will be speaking at a meeting of the Hamilton MOMS Club, a local chapter of the MOMS Club®, an international, non-denominational and non-profit organization specifically designed for at-home mothers. They offer support to at-home mothers during the day and meet every Wednesday in Hamilton. For more information about their playgroup and group activities, please email HamiltonMomsClub@hotmail.com.
Also in February, I will give a talk about the farm’s history and agricultural policy issues to an environmental policy class at Rutgers. In March, I will give a marketing presentation to participants of Annie’s Project, a risk management educational program designed for women farmers. Since Farmer Jim and I have decided to forgo attendance at farm conferences this year, I’ll get a little networking in by giving talks instead.
Lastly, a long-time CSA member is working on development of a high-fiber crop and is looking for space at one of our farms to grow it. As we have some farmland we do not plan to cultivate this season, we may have the opportunity to collaborate on this project in the upcoming season.
Right to Farm issues with Chesterfield Township
For those following the Right to Farm complaint the Township of Chesterfield has filed against us, here is the latest:
At its meeting on Thursday, December 8, 2011, the NJ State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC) recommended that Honey Brook Organic Farm perform a study at our sole expense to clarify the nature and extent of any threat to public health and safety that the farm’s access lane may pose, and the results of the study are to be evaluated to determine what, if anything, should be done about any identified threat.
· The Township’s testimony regarding dust was inconclusive, and the SADC recommended that the Burlington County Agriculture Development Board (BCADB) explore that issue further on remand; the SADC will provide questions and comments to guide the board in its deliberations on the issue.
· The SADC’s report was expressly limited to the specific facts and circumstances of the case, including the farm property’s configuration and the topographical conditions of Chesterfield-Georgetown Road.
Now the BCADB will conduct their own investigation and hold their own public hearing with respect to our matter. This hearing probably won’t occur until some time in the spring, so please keep reading your emails from the farm as well as our newsletters to find out the latest and to learn how you can help. Many members and friends of the farm have already helped or offered to help, and please know how extremely grateful we are!
