12/16/2012
Dear CSA members,
This letter has been difficult to write and I apologize that it comes after the season has ended.
Closing the CSA this year is a bittersweet event. Marked by little more than the onset of another cold and gray New England winter there are subtle signs that this time is different. For the past four years, my entire adult life, I have farmed the five acres from which you ate this past season. The cycles of working the land have guided my actions and provided a net in which to hold my life. Every spring has been filled with planting and preparing the soil- adding rich compost to improve the health of the land over time. The summer heat means long sunlit days, bountiful meals, and a community of excited interns. The fall provides a respite from the tedium of weeds as their growth slows and we put the garden to bed for winter. This year is different. This year I am not just tucking the garden to sleep for a few months. This year I am closing the CSA.
Some people romanticize farming, having only experienced leisurely weekend activities like apple picking and hayrides. It is hard work that can be physically, emotionally, and mentally draining. It can also be very rewarding, but is not rewarded in our society with the respect or financial security that other necessary professionals can count on. Some people, carrying the stigma of our history, wonder why an educated person would pursue a career in the field of agriculture. I have farmed because I love being outside and working in the sun. I love seeing the results of my labors at the end of a hard day of work. My mind and body are always engaged when I am farming. There is never a dull day- each brings its own challenges that require creative thinking and problem solving. Most of all, many of my dearest friends are those who I have met because of a mutual interest in sustainable agriculture- from fellow farmers to past interns to dedicated CSA members.
I have been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to lease and farm a portion of land owned by my family. The dream of improving soil and land across generations is an alluring ideal. There are many positive aspects of this kind of arrangement, such as a level of freedom not experienced by those farming alone. We can take care of each other’s animals so the other party can take a weekend off- a luxury many small farmers do not have. We can share ideas and knowledge, meals and community. There are also unique challenges faced by developing a farming enterprise on a family farm. There are often family dynamics, shifting goals, visions, and expectations that can cause rifts and hard feelings to form. There are also often family pressures to leave the farm, to pursue a more lucrative career. These pressures are felt by myself and other young adults from farming families who try to break the norm by returning home to the farm after graduating college.
At 23 I have created my own business, taught others how to work the land, learned a lot, felt the satisfaction of doing a job well, as well as the disappointment of facing setbacks. I count myself lucky to be where I am today and appreciate all those who have helped make Rosasharn Farm CSA a reality, and in many ways, a success. Today, after 4 years of careful care and compost additions, the soil is richer and healthier. There is infrastructure for a farm business where before there were invasive species encroaching on an old hayfield. Past farm interns have developed a passion for sustainable agriculture and several have even started their own farming projects. Hundreds of people have eaten the fresh, healthy, and tasty vegetables and meat from Rosasharn Farm. When I eat the fruit of my labor with the community it has created, I know this has been a success.
As the first snows fall and the garden goes dormant, I want to say thank you for your support and I am sorry that I will not be offering a CSA next year. So many CSA members wrote kind notes expressing their excitement to join again in 2013 and I am sad that it is not an option due to forces beyond my control.
In the year to come Sianna, who started at Rosasharn two years ago as an intern, and worked this season as the CSA assistant manager, will be pursuing music, midwifery, and continuing to explore sustainable farming in different regions of the country. Check out her music at: www.soundcloud.com/siannaplavin.
I will be dedicating my time and energy to developing Pasture To Plate certified mobile kitchen. Pasture to Plate will offer farm dinners and cooking workshops on host farms in southeastern New England. Find out more at: www.pasturetoplatekitchen.com. I hope to see many of you at these events throughout the summer and fall of 2013. I will also continue to coordinate the Young Farmer Night network that supports beginning farmers in the area. I will continue to work in the world of sustainable agriculture- helping other farmers become more economically viable- and I hope that you continue to support small farmers within your local economies. Below is a list of some great CSA’s run by young or beginning farmers in the area that I would encourage you to sign up with for next season.
Thank you again and please stay in touch,
Margiana Petersen-Rockney
Pasture To Plate
www.pasturetoplatekitchen.com
[email protected]
401-330-7153
Scratch Farm- Providence, RI http://www.scratchfarm.com
Sidewalk Ends Farm- Providence, RI http://backyardfarmscsa.wordpress.com/about/
Freedom Food Farm- Johnston, RI http://www.freedomfoodfarm.com
Kettle Pond Farm- Berkley, MA www.kettlepondfarm.com
Roots Farm- Tiverton, RI http://www.roots-farm.com
Brix Bounty Farm- Dartmouth, MA http://www.brixbounty.com
Buckle Farm- Dighton, MA http://www.bucklefarm.com
Thank you for all your support. Rosasharn Farm CSA will be closed in 2013. Please stay in touch! Become a member:
