Come Learn about Lexington Community Farm plans. What would the Lexington Community Farm look like? How would the farm work? Find out at a public discussion of the Lexington Community Farm business plan on Thursday, May 20 at 7pm. For location, please sign up here: http://tinyurl.com/lexfarm-convgrp.
Update
This event has been rescheduled for a TBD date in June. If you’re looking for something to do on the originally scheduled date of April 29th, might we suggest the LexGWAC sponsored lecture at Cary Hall, Global Warming, End of Oil, Perfect Storm
Join Lexington Community Education for a night exploring local food in our community. Janet Kern, Founder of the Lexington Community Farm Coalition, Sonia DeMarta, Founder of the Lexington Farmers’ Market, and Karen Masterson, Owner of Nourish Restaurant will explore the where, when, why and how of Farmers’ markets, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), SPIN farming, and Community Farms in our area. We will examine the differences between locally grown, organic, and IPM, get the latest thinking regarding community farming in town, discover how farmers and gardeners can fight climate change, learn about an Interfaith gardening effort to help the hungry, and hear why local food in local restaurants is an increasingly important ingredient.
The following clip features LCFC’s Janet Kern setting the record straight regarding the necessity, or lack thereof, of a town subsidy to support our vision for a community farm. A diagram below shows an example community farm budget.
Well said, Janet!
Click to view full size
To clarify what we mean by “no town subsidy required”, take a look at the the diagram to the right. It is taken from a presentation given by Sam Robinson, board member of the Waltham Fields Community Farm, at a farm panel discussion hosted by the LCFC back in May of 2009. What it shows are the sources and percentages of revenue taken in by the WFCF organization. The largest percentage (in red) is revenue from their CSA and partnership sales. This revenue alone is more than enough to pay for the entire operational budget of the farm. This includes farm supplies, farm equipment, staff salary and benefits.
Listen and watch as Margaret Heitz, Lexington Precinct 4 Town Meeting Member and member of the Waltham Fields Community Farm, relates her experience on the farm at our recent Candidates’ Night event.
Sounds like fun, right? It’s Lexington Community Farm Coalition’s mission to bring that kind of multi-generational and, yes, recreational community experience to Lexington by establishing our own community farm right here in our town.
Busa Farm CSA members, speak up! I’m sure you’ve had similar experiences so tell us about it in a comment below.
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.
(Pictured from Left to Right: Deb Mauger, Iang Jeon, George Burnell and Wendy Manz)
Thanks to all of the candidates and residents for joining our conversation last night at the LexFarm Candidates’ Night. Selectmen candidates, George Burnell, Iang Jeon and Deb Mauger, along with unopposed Planning Board candidate, Wendy Manz, answered (and sometimes dodged) many questions about land use, farming, and specific details about the Busa property. In general all the candidates seems supportive of the idea of retaining farming as one of the uses of the land, but were understandably reluctant to fully endorse a community farm over other interests, such as affordable housing and recreation.
A highlight was resident and town meeting member, Margaret Heitz, describing her experience as a member of the Waltham Fields Community Farm, and suggesting that participating in a community farm is just as much a “recreational” activity as anything provided by ballfields or tot lots. She also emphasized the multi-generational aspects of community farms. She then asked the candidates, “Do you get what I’m saying?” While all responded in the affirmative, don’t color me 100% convinced just yet. As evidenced by Wendy Manz’s response to a later question, there continues to be confusion regarding the difference between community gardens and community farms. There is still a lot education and enlightenment work ahead of us.
For those who couldn’t make it please watch for the event on LexMedia at some point in the near future.
Lexfarm Candidates’ Night
Sunday 1/24 7:30-9pm
Church of Our Redeemer (6 Meriam St.)
The Lexington Selectman will be deciding what to do with the Busa Farm land – and two Selectman seats are open. Come ask candidates for Selectmen and the town’s Planning Board your questions, and see what they have to say about land use, farming, and other issues on your mind! Come to the Church of Our Redeemer, 6 Meriam Street, Lexington Center, at 7:30 pm Sunday, January 24.
Thanks to everyone who came out to the community farm information meeting tonight. And a huge, extra helping of thanks to the speakers. It was fascinating and inspiring to hear the stories of your farms. Lexington is lucky to have the opportunity to follow in your footsteps, and the help and support of everyone who attended is greatly appreciated.
If you have ideas or feedback about the meeting, please use our contact form. If you indicated “yes” on one of our sign-up sheets, you’ll be added to our mailing list for announcements and updates. Otherwise the link to sign up is on the right side of the page.
Since Lexington Town Meeting recently voted to purchase the 8-acre Busa Farm bordering the Arlington Reservoir, many local residents have been asking what other towns do with publicly owned farm land. To help answer these questions, there will be an informational meeting on community farming on Wednesday, May 27, at the Church of Our Redeemer at 6 Meriam Street, Lexington; ingathering at 7 pm, talk at 7:30 pm.
Representatives from local community farms will give brief presentations on how their community farms were started and how their farms operate today. There will be a question and answer session following the talks.
Speakers:
Ben Bowell, American Farmland Trust
Peter Barrer, Angino Farm, Newton
Samuel Robinson, Waltham Fields Community Farm, Waltham
Jim Whitehead, Wright-Locke Farm, Winchester
Verena Wieloch, Gaining Ground, Concord
For more information contact Meg Muckenhoupt, megmuck@gmail. com