Greetings all! This blog is my attempt to share photos and funny stories from my summer internship on a Western Massachusetts CSA (Community Sponsored Agriculture) dairy and vegetable farm.
Like other small farms in the Western Massachusetts and Eastern New York State area, my farm participates in an apprenticeship program in which housing and training are provided to interested individuals who hope to one day transition to farm ownership. Known as the CRAFT program, farms participating in this apprenticeship model each offer a workshop based on a different skill. This allows all apprentices to tour different kind of farms to witness the myriad methods of sustainable farming practices, thus providing future farmers with a broader pool of resources to draw from.
Am I going to own a farm one day? Not likely. Though I've been a long time food advocate-long before I even knew that one could be an advocate of food (isn't everyone, by default of the fact that we all...um...eat food)-my reasons for apprenticing on a CSA are a bit different.
In September I'll be pursuing a masters degree in urban and environmental planning. After living in Turkey for a year and a half where I frequented thriving outdoor markets of a scale I didn't know possible for an urban setting, I decided it time to devote the same enthusiasm I have for good food to making good food available for everyone. I want a farmers market for every town, I want farming to be better understood and appreciated, I want America to support healthy food options beyond "lite" microwaveable dinners.
This blog hopes to show some of the realities small farmers face, dispel some of the misconceptions folks have about agriculture and farming, and encourage folks to support local farms and farmers as a political and personal act.
This blog promises to not spare any of the hysterically embarassing details as I bumble my way through learning the trade of "land stewardship"
The first of many lessons learned: Roots Down. A plant put in the ground, wants its roots planted down. Don't just jam that sprout into the soil. It wants roots down so they can begin digging deep into layers of organic matter that will provide nutrients and allow it to flourish and be healthy. Seems obvious. And it is. But its also the kind of small detail one might overlook if they just set about plopping plants in the ground.
Its this attention to the obvious details which pervades small scale farming.
