| .. |
| background |
Foxtail Community Farm is a small family farm
in rural Greene County, New York, about 40 minutes south of
Albany. Our family moved here and started the farm in 2004, with
our first CSA season in 2006. With common ties to upstate New
York, we chose Greenville as a wonderful place to live, farm, and
raise our three young children.
We bring strong and varied experience to this endeavor. Eric has a
degree in Agronomy and Sustainable Agriculture from Cornell
University. He interned on several small farms and CSAs and
studied permaculture in eastern Australia before starting a
successful small-scale CSA in our former home of Wisconsin. He
also has worked in commercial greenhouses, the cooperative
extension system, and with the Regional Farm and Food Project, a
non-profit organization dedicated to improving local food systems.
Like most modern farm families, we also have off-farm income
from Rachel's job as a public health physician in Albany. Rachel
helps with farm work as much as she can, coordinates the weekly
newsletter and preserving activities, and comes up with lots of
ideas for special projects - some of which we actually get around to
doing! Our three children Malcolm, Garrett and Clara also help out
with farm work (a little more each year!) and are great critics of
new recipes for the weekly newsletter. Eric's mom Dee helps with
flowers and weekly harvests.
Farming is a labor of love that is both a livelihood and a way of
living for our family. It helps us be productive and healthy,
strengthens our connection to the earth and to our community, and
allows us to attain a growing level of self-sufficiency. Through the
CSA we strive not only to support our farm, but to share these
benefits and experiences with members of our CSA community.
We look forward to getting to know you, and making Foxtail your
family's farm!
in rural Greene County, New York, about 40 minutes south of
Albany. Our family moved here and started the farm in 2004, with
our first CSA season in 2006. With common ties to upstate New
York, we chose Greenville as a wonderful place to live, farm, and
raise our three young children.
We bring strong and varied experience to this endeavor. Eric has a
degree in Agronomy and Sustainable Agriculture from Cornell
University. He interned on several small farms and CSAs and
studied permaculture in eastern Australia before starting a
successful small-scale CSA in our former home of Wisconsin. He
also has worked in commercial greenhouses, the cooperative
extension system, and with the Regional Farm and Food Project, a
non-profit organization dedicated to improving local food systems.
Like most modern farm families, we also have off-farm income
from Rachel's job as a public health physician in Albany. Rachel
helps with farm work as much as she can, coordinates the weekly
newsletter and preserving activities, and comes up with lots of
ideas for special projects - some of which we actually get around to
doing! Our three children Malcolm, Garrett and Clara also help out
with farm work (a little more each year!) and are great critics of
new recipes for the weekly newsletter. Eric's mom Dee helps with
flowers and weekly harvests.
Farming is a labor of love that is both a livelihood and a way of
living for our family. It helps us be productive and healthy,
strengthens our connection to the earth and to our community, and
allows us to attain a growing level of self-sufficiency. Through the
CSA we strive not only to support our farm, but to share these
benefits and experiences with members of our CSA community.
We look forward to getting to know you, and making Foxtail your
family's farm!
Our Philosophy of Food Production
Most people are familiar with organic agriculture as a
method of producing healthy, natural food without the use
of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. We believe that true
organic farming includes and goes beyond these practices to
be part of a sustainable agricultural system that emphasizes
local food production and consumption to support the health
of people, the environment and the economy. We also
believe that CSA is more than the buying and selling of food,
it is about building connections between people, the land
around us and the food we eat.
Instead of synthetic fertilizers we use compost, cover
cropping, minerals and organic materials that nurture and
sustain our soil as a living ecosystem. Instead of chemical
pesticides we use crop rotation, hoeing, beneficial insects,
and other physical and cultural methods for controlling
damage from pests. We minimize our use of plastic and
other non-renewable resources in our irrigation and
cultivation practices. Through our newsletters, family farm
days, member work commitment and partnerships with
local food pantries and schools we strive to share the joys,
challenges and benefits of farming with all of our members
and our larger community.
A century ago, most of you would have grown your own
food. Today most people have lost that direct connection to
the soil. You can use your power as consumers to support
the same values and enjoy many of the same benefits
through supporting local sustainable agriculture.
Most people are familiar with organic agriculture as a
method of producing healthy, natural food without the use
of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. We believe that true
organic farming includes and goes beyond these practices to
be part of a sustainable agricultural system that emphasizes
local food production and consumption to support the health
of people, the environment and the economy. We also
believe that CSA is more than the buying and selling of food,
it is about building connections between people, the land
around us and the food we eat.
Instead of synthetic fertilizers we use compost, cover
cropping, minerals and organic materials that nurture and
sustain our soil as a living ecosystem. Instead of chemical
pesticides we use crop rotation, hoeing, beneficial insects,
and other physical and cultural methods for controlling
damage from pests. We minimize our use of plastic and
other non-renewable resources in our irrigation and
cultivation practices. Through our newsletters, family farm
days, member work commitment and partnerships with
local food pantries and schools we strive to share the joys,
challenges and benefits of farming with all of our members
and our larger community.
A century ago, most of you would have grown your own
food. Today most people have lost that direct connection to
the soil. You can use your power as consumers to support
the same values and enjoy many of the same benefits
through supporting local sustainable agriculture.
| Click Here for information on our 2013 CSA Season Frequently Asked Questions |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
Foxtail Community Farm