Report on the 2015 Farm Operation
It has been an exciting year at the farm. In 2015, based on the knowledge of using organic growing methods on our farm gleaned by our 2014 farm managers, we put about half of the farm into production, bringing in most of the market-style portion of our share from Picadilly Farm. This allowed us to learn about the farm, build relationships with other local farms, actively manage the issues identified in 2014, and plan to put more of the farm into production in 2016.
What We Learned
We learned that addressing issues on the farm using organic practices will take time, and with a thoughtful plan — one that is sustainable for the land, the farm staff, and the organization — we can eventually bring the farm back into full production. In 2015, we began to tackle the soil diseases and weed pressures in our fields using organic practices and a targeted approach. Thankfully, we continue to observe that the farm has fertile soil, and we are looking forward to growing here for seasons to come.
Our relationship with Picadilly
We are grateful to our partners Bruce and Jenny Wooster, the farmers and owners at Picadilly Farm, who played a critical role in our CSA model for the 2015 season. Our relationship will evolve season to season to meet the changing needs of both farms, and we look forward to continuing our relationship.
What we expect for next year
We are working towards a goal of full production at Lexington Community Farm, with incremental steps each year. In 2016, we hope to ramp up our farm operation to achieve a 50% increase in production. Our goal is to include much more Lexington produce in the CSA share with many crops still supplied by Picadilly Farm. We expect to again fill the farm stand with a combination of our own and neighboring farms’ produce.
Food donations
We are proud of our partnerships with the Lexington Food Pantry and Lovin’ Spoonfuls, where we donated unclaimed and over-supplied CSA produce. We also made additional donations of produce grown on the farm to Boston Area Gleaners and Fresh Truck, a mobile food market supporting food access and community health in Boston.
In 2015, we donated 5,371 pounds of produce with a value of $11,366.
Thank you!
We want to thank our neighbors, members, volunteers, CSA shareholders, and farm stand customers for their support and confidence. We are extremely pleased with this year’s results. We look forward to building on what we learned this season and improving and expanding our organization. We are excited to see so many individuals and families come together to realize the vision of a sustainable farm devoted to the community.
Thank you, and see you next season!
Most Sincerely,
Tim Hines
Farm Manager