Lexington Community Farm Coalition

Today’s Boston Globe West section has a great article about Arlington’s concern for the fate of Busa Farm; it includes an interview with Arlington’s Selectwoman, Clarissa Rowe…

Cooperation asked on fate of farm land

The following is an op-ed that was published in the February 11th edition of the Lexington Minuteman.

In a bit of comic relief, Candidates’ Night moderator, Meg Muckenhaupt, asked the candidates a somewhat silly question…

Look for more clips and the full length recording of our Candidates’ Night event to appear in the next couple of weeks.

What is a community farm? Who decides what to grow there? Who grows it? What do children do there? The Lexington Community Farm Coalition is sponsoring a panel discussion titled “A Year in the Life of a Community Farm” as part of its series of educational talks about community farming on Thursday, December 3 at the Church of Our Redeemer, 6 Meriam St. Lexington. Light refreshments will be available at 7 pm; program begins at 7:30 pm.

Come ask real community farmers and farm managers your own questions. Hear about how community farms in neighboring towns operate through the seasons to provide fresh produce and opportunities to work, learn, and grow to people of all ages and abilities.

Panelists include:

• Christy Foote-Smith, Sanctuary Director, and Matt Celona, crops manager at Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary, Lincoln, a working farm and wildlife sanctuary that has been connecting families to nature since 1995
• Verena Wieloch, Farmer at Concord’s Gaining Ground Farm in Concord, which has donated all produce grown since 1999 at its 17-acre farm site to area food pantries and meal programs;
• Greg Maslowe, Farmer at Newton Community Farm, non-profit community farm located on the historic Angino farmstead owned by the City of Newton;
• Jen James, Farm Director at Codman Community Farms, which has been farming a town-owned site in Lincoln for more than 36 years.;
• Representatives from the Food Project, which works with over a hundred teens and thousands of volunteers to farm on 37 acres in eastern Massachusetts in the towns and cities of Beverly, Boston, Ipswich, Lincoln and Lynn.

The panelists will give brief presentations about their farms, then answer audience questions. For excerpts from the Lexington Community Farm Coalition’s previous program on community farming, see http://lexfarm.org/archives/category/video.

Update: for convenience in adding to an online calendar this event has also been posted at:

• Upcoming: http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/4883344/?ps=5
• Eventful: http://eventful.com/lexington_ma/events/a-year-life-community-farm-/E0-001-026280773-2

The League of Women Voters of Concord-Carlisle, as part of their Life In The Balance series, are hosting an upcoming two-part public forum called Food For Thought.  If you’re concerned about the challenges facing our food system you won’t want to miss it.

For program details and locations click here.

Ladies & Gentlemen, we have a winner! Out of 255 responses to last week’s online poll in the Lexington Minuteman, a resounding 84% said that a community-run farm was absolutely a good fit for our town. Only 7% thought it was a bad idea.

This week’s Lexington Minuteman online poll asks whether Community Farming is a good idea for Lexington. Please take the poll and forward to (like-minded) friends!

Click Here to take the poll!

Thank You!

If you missed the meeting about Community Farming in Lexington on May 27,or if you want to see it again, it is now being broadcast on LexMedia channels. Here is the schedule for the next week:

Although I can’t imagine anyone interested in this site doesn’t already know this: TODAY is Opening Day for the Lexington Farmers’ Market. At 2:00 pm today and every Tuesday through October 27th (that’s 21 weeks!!!) you’ll be able to find locally grown food at one of the best Markets around …please come … rain or shine!