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CSA

David Fisher’s Farm Puts the Horse in Horsepower

June 1, 2022 by Michael Gold

From Pleasantville to western Massachusetts doesn’t seem like a huge journey. But David Fisher has traveled a longer road than most of us would be willing to take by running a farm using methods that are far more environmentally sound than the vast majority of other agricultural businesses today. His unique solution? Horse-driven farming.

Fisher, who grew up on Munson Pond in Pleasantville, the son of John Fisher, business development manager for Inside Press, uses five work horses to plow the fields and bring in the harvest, using no fossil fuels for his farming. Fisher’s Natural Roots farm, in Conway, Massachusetts, grows salad greens, spinach, onions, carrots, beets, watermelon, and other produce, which are purchased by the local population. The farm also has a store selling locally made foods produced in an environmentally responsible way, from bread and cheese to chocolate and ice cream.

Tractors using diesel oil for power and emitting carbon dioxide are not present on the farm. The horses eat grass and hay grown in Natural Roots’ fields and pastures 

“Our energy comes from the Earth,” Fisher explains. “We’re trying to create a healthy soil system.” All Natural Roots fertilizer is organic, as well as the pesticides Fisher uses. Most industrial fertilizers and pesticides are oil-based and are therefore big contributors to heating up the climate, as well as major pollutants of water and soil. “I want to live my life to be close to the land,” he says. Also, using his horses, is “a way for me to address climate change.”

Visitors are welcome on the farm. “Families with kids love to see the horses,” Fisher explains. “We’re open to the public, for people to visit and enjoy the farm. It’s a gift for me to be here and I want to share it.” 

The horses all have different personalities, Fisher says. Their names are George, Pat, Gus, Tim, and Land. Pat is old, mellow, and patient. Gus wants to “just go and hustle and get it done.”

“They’re all willing to work,” he explains. Sometimes, they get anxious when they’re not working. “If a horse stands all day long, we have to get the wiggles out.” Also, in rare circumstances they may get agitated by noise, so they need to be calmed down. 

The farm works on a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model. People buy a share of the harvest for one year. They contribute a share of the cost of running the farm. “The customers give us money for seed, labor, and other costs on the farm. They get fresh produce, often picked on the day they come to the farm. The CSA model gives us the money as we need it. That helps us avoid loans (to operate). Some of our members have been coming here for 20 years. We supply produce for more than 200 families.”

Customers can buy a regular share of produce, a large share, or a part-time share. Families with lesser income can buy a discounted share of each category of share offered. Each week they can come to the farm and fill up their bag according to the share of the produce they’ve purchased. The farm offers gift cards too. 

CSA subscribers also enjoy the natural beauty of the farm. They can swim in the South River, which runs through the property, or pick blueberries, raspberries, beans, or flowers in one of the farm’s fields. 

Leora, David, and Gabriel Fisher

Fisher generally works an eleven and a half-hour day. The farm employs an assistant manager and two apprentices who work full time from March through December. A friend and some other people help in the summer. Including Fisher, the core crew consists of four people. On busy harvest days, the farm may have up to eight or nine people assisting with the work. Fisher’s two children also help. 

The farm has suffered intense storms at times. Hurricane Irene flooded the fields. Floods have at times deposited huge amounts of sand on crop land. Natural Roots’ CSA subscribers have helped Fisher get all his equipment out of the field and harvested “everything we could” before anticipated storms.

Fisher was inspired to live so close to nature when he attended a wilderness camp for eight years in the Adirondack Mountains as a camper, then a staffer. The camp, Tanager Lodge, had no electricity. “It gave me a deeply infused reverence for the natural world,” Fisher said. 

“Growing up I had a very strong environmental ethic, an awareness of the environmental crisis. The land called me.”

Filed Under: Cover Stories Tagged With: CSA, David Fisher, Horse Driven Farming, Horse Farm

CSA: A Great Way to Eat Fresh, and Healthy, Meals

April 21, 2016 by The Inside Press

Roxbury Farm
Roxbury Farm

By Liz Susman Karp

With the current spotlight on farm-to-table eating and eating local, spring presents an opportune time to sign up for a share in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA).

A CSA is a weekly allotment of farm-grown vegetables, usually enough to feed two to four people. Fruit, eggs, meat and poultry additions are often optional. Splitting shares is common. Some farms are certified organic, others follow organic practices (high certification cost) or have taken the NOFA (National Organic Farmers Association) pledge to farming, marketing and farm management in accordance with sound ecological and economic principles.

Participating in a CSA enables shareholders to obtain fresh, natural food; it’s a statement of commitment to the land, and lends support and security to farmers. That’s got to make food taste better!

There’s something grounding (no pun intended) about eating seasonally, when food reaches its natural peak. It’s reminiscent of a simpler time, yet is thoroughly modern. A plant-heavy diet with few or no processed foods has proven more nourishing. Fertile soil fights the effects of global warming. Improved access to better food offers choice in a food system which promotes unhealthy foods.

Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard
Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard

Each week’s share is different. “The quantity of types of produce varies week-to-week depending on what is available–we include all produce we grow here on our farm,” says Christine Tartaglia of Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard. “But, for example, the cucumber crop might be fruiting like crazy one week and, say, peppers are not, so you might get more cukes in that box and no peppers. But that being said, we know that no one wants an overload of one type of veggie, so we do our best to offer a broad range of staples and new/different items each week.” Visit harvestmoonfarmandorchard.com

CSAs provide a weekly newsletter with information and recipes. Jenn Hentel, a member of Roxbury Farm’s CSA, says, “Most veggies you have heard of, but the rarer ones make it fun. My theory is: If you don’t know what to do with it, then roast it!”

A sampling of local options:

Members of Roxbury Farm’s CSA bring their own bags to pick-up sites, which include B’nai Yisrael, Armonk, and Pace University, Pleasantville. Known for innovative practices, the Kinderhook, NY farm’s CSA is in its 26th year. It runs for 23 weeks beginning June 8, with seven to 12 varieties weekly. Options include meat and chicken shares and an 18-week fruit share. Shareholders are asked to contribute time neatening their site or delivering extras to a food pantry. www.roxburyfarm.com

The CSA of Harvest Moon Farm and Orchard in North Salem is in its fifth year. Half or full bushel shares are offered for 13 or 18 weeks beginning July 7. Prices start at $325. A milk share from Ronnybrook Farm is available. Members may receive grass fed beef, apple cider or eggs as occasional bonus items. Visit www.harvestmoonfarmandorchard.com.

The Stone Barns Center CSA, available to members of Stone Barns, “is so much about sharing not just in the crops from our farm, but in the work of the Center to change the way America eats and farms,” says SBC Content Manager Adriana Stimola. Beginning June 1 for 22 weeks, it includes seasonal vegetable varieties not found anywhere else, often trial varieties from collaborative seed-breeding partnerships. Some will be grown exclusively for CSA members. Cost is $800; pick up at Stone Barns, Pocantico Hills. Options are chicken, eggs and flower bouquets. Visit stonebarnscenter.org

Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard
Colorful produce from Simpaug Farms is enticing to the eye and the palate.

Simpaug Farms in Suffield, Conn., will distribute its CSA in Ridgefield at Bailey’s Backyard and the Ridgefield Farmers Market from June 6 to Sept. 19. Each weekly or bi-weekly share includes five to 12 vegetable varieties with herbs, berries and occasional preserved items from the farm kitchen. Meat, eggs and other products may be purchased through the farm website. Members are encouraged to share their experiences, photos, and recipes on Simpaug’s social media pages. 300 shares are available; cost is $35/week. Visit www.simpaugfarms.com.

Pound Ridge Organics
Pound Ridge Organics

Pound Ridge Organics, a local organic food hub, offers a CSA featuring all clean, locally-grown products year-round without upfront cost. Members receive a weekly order form for organic/biodynamic produce, certified organic, animal welfare-approved meat and poultry, dairy, artisanal breads and other natural products, including kosher, vegan and gluten free options. New this spring is a heritage egg and poultry option. No limit to spots or minimum/maximum order, but organizer Donna Simons, who founded PRO five years ago after doing a research project on factory farming, prefers people order on a regular basis. Pick up at hr carriage house in Pound Ridge. For more info, write to: poundridgeorganics@icloud.com.

CSAs provide appealing alternatives for food choice. Dara Mirsky joined Roxbury Farms so her young sons could see her and her husband enjoying vegetables. “I like getting vegetables that are still a little dirty…just pulled from the earth,” she says. “And on the whole everything tastes a lot better than the supermarket.”

farm

Liz Susman Karp is a freelance writer and public relations practitioner. She, her husband and two teenage sons live in Briarcliff Manor near the site of Briarcliff Lodge where they used to explore the ruins when the boys were young.   

Filed Under: Armonk Cover Stories Tagged With: Community Supported Agriculture, CSA, farming, fresh, health, Inside Press, organic, theinsidepress.com

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