Posts Tagged ‘farm help’

Putting the CSA first

Sorry for the departure.  We’ve been working sun up till sun down and it’s been above average temps here in the pacific northwest.  All the farmers around here have a glow of joy about them as we’re actually getting a summer (and a tan!).  Our csa has enjoyed our heirloom variety tomatoes now for three weeks. 

Although that’s great news and we’re stoked to be filling our CSA shares with those vine ripe goody balls, we’ re missing the income they provide for us at the farmers market.  Today was the first week at our farmers market booth featured the new crops of our summer harvest.  We had enough basil, tomatillos, and some squash to go to market.

Speaking of sales, we’re due to fulfill our duties as freshman farmers to share with you a bit of our farm financials.  A summary I hope will suffice for now…

We started the season borrowing five thousand dollars to be able to start this season on the right foot.  These funds allowed for seed packages to arrive in our mailbox, a seed starting greenhouse to be built, paid for our spring tillage, got us some farm animals, and helped pay a month or so of housing rent. 

We had next to no income coming in at the start of the season as there we’re no veggies to sell and Sara was making a big switch in her career, ending her seven years as a nanny and turning to farming. 

Just as our borrowed funds came to a close our hard work in seeking CSA members paid off as we began approaching our mailbox with desperate hope each day.  The checks arrived just as we needed them.  We managed to just make ends meet and have enough money left over for a few yards of compost and fertilizer. 

It was only by an amazing act of kindness that we were able to order and install a drip irrigation system at home in early mid May.  The lack of water at the beginning of the season coupled with high temps set back some of our crops,  mostly the broccoli and cauliflower. 

All that to say we’re still floating in the RED sea of farming debt. We’re working our butts off and are finding it a bit frustrating to not have enough money to order supplies, tools, garlic seed and etc.  We’re calling out to our CSA members and other community members to lend a hand on the farm to help get the much needed work done, inspire us, and let our bodies rest a bit by working but just not as hard.  So far we’ve be honored to have three or four of our CSA members lend a hand out in the fields, as well as a few community members who’ve contacted us. 

I yearn to establish a Community Supported Agriculture customer base that seeks to help it’s farm in whatever fashion they can.  We can use help in many areas we just need our members to reach out to us and offer whatever services that can.  Right now we need physical farm hands, financial advisement, construction assistance, and a massage. (Sara wouldn’t mind a pedicure either!!)

I’m nodding off here so I hope to be back soon.  For breakfast tomorrow Duck eggs!  A few days ago we got our first small egg and now we’re getting half a dozen each morning!

Thanks for the help