Week 20 Newsletter
Week #20 - Week of October 12th
Well, here we are. The end of another summer CSA - and what a great season it has been. Now that the season has slowed down and we come up on the milestone that is week 20, it’s a natural time to reflect and an exciting time to imagine. This season saw lots of changes, mostly growth and also a few learning opportunities. After two-and-a-half years working at Ecolibrium, we said goodbye to our farm manager, Simon. He was instrumental in wrapping up our operation at the South 47 and moving the farm to this wonderful property. We were able to hit the ground running last year because of his leadership and hard work and he continued to improve our systems right up until the end of his stint. He is now in Ohio starting his own operation and seems to be off to a great start.
Another part of his impact here was how well he trained Franklin over their time working together. Franklin, like a runner in a relay race, took the baton and kept the pace going at a phenomenal speed. We developed a rather robust crop plan over the winter and Franklin put that plan into action! It’s nature we try and wrangle, so of course some plants weren’t ready to harvest when the plan said they should be or beds weren’t available to plant into or seedlings not big enough to be transplanted. Given all of that, and just how delicate of a dance we do with nature, the quantity and quality of the produce was remarkable. Under Franklin’s leadership 15+ employees worked 10,000+ hours this year to run the farm. Seeding, bed prep, transplanting, watering, cultivation, trellising, re-fertilizing crops, harvesting, post-harvest handling, transportation, ordering of tools, seeds and packaging materials. It’s quite a symphony and our conductor led everyone with patience, humor and integrity. While you may not know them all by name or face, the hard work of Lauriane, Amanda, Robbie, Sydney, Gerry, Elena, Jacqueline, Kay, Chloe, Joshua, Amelia, Kelly, Sam H, Sam C, Kim and Keaton allowed our field to thrive!
Beyond that, the “front of house” hummed along at an incredible clip as well. Starting with the nursery and store opening in April, through today and for the next nine weeks still, Suzanne has been an incredible resource of wisdom, observation, reflection, mechanical aptitude (especially freezers), research, patience, listening and many other attributes. Contained within one wonderful human, you are greeted each week with her energy and she makes the store a wonderful place. Thankfully, at midseason Michelle joined our team and has brought her deep connection to farming and food (currently apples!), along with her business acumen and kindness to us. It’s allowing our store systems to improve and adding another element of warmth and connection as you come in, get your weekly produce and explore the farm. Sandra our bookkeeper, you don’t get to see. She helps run things on the back end, so a thank you and nod to her as well.
And finally there’s Kate. There are not enough reams of paper in stock, or words I could conjure to convey just how much gratitude and awe I have for Kate’s tireless work, incredible acumen, deep understanding of the operations and guidance in all aspects of this farm. She never ceases to amaze me with the level of understanding she has to all parts of our operation. While the code writers at google (GSuite and gmail), squarespace (website), square (POS) would like me to think they are the backbone of our operation, there is no doubt that it would be a blank screen on all fronts if it was not for her, the true core of it all. This paragraph is a mere drop in the proverbial bucket to share the value of her creativity, guidance, gentle prodding, commitment and partnership in making this place a success. We are a better farm and business because of her.
And so, as the sun sets on the summer season, I am filled with a sense of fullness. We did it! As some of you know, we recently purchased the property to the north (where for many years Root Connections also grew food and Claire’s family lived). It’s exciting to start imagining how to fold that into the operation and as we move along all will be revealed (to us and to you). In the next few weeks you will get a couple correspondences that we hope you take part in. One is the survey which helps us hear from you and set our course moving forward and the other is the pre-season sign ups for 2027! We hope you will continue the journey with us. You are the muse of this farm. So much of what we do is in preparation, operation or continuation of your experience on the farm and your connection to this place and people is seen, felt and valued. Thank you for trusting us with this one part of your life. We hope to see you Saturday for some revelry and cheer!
-Alex