We had the pleasure of attending our statewide organic farming conference this week. The VABF and Virginia State put on a quality annual conference, bringing together almost 500 people from around the state, region, and country who value and prioritize local organic food. The power of this mass of committed people is fierce!
We go to this annual conference to learn about the latest in organic soil health research, soak in helpful information about managing our staff and apprentices, to brush up on farm business skills, talk with farm-supply vendors face to face, learn about new products, hear the outlook on the 2018 Farm Bill, commiserate with other producers about the challenges of fake CSA’s, see old friends and make new ones, and hear famous speakers. We have the best-ever professional development!
Of course, these connections don’t stop at the state level. There’s a tremendously valuable regional group, SSAWG that our state group feeds into. And there’s a critically essential national group in D.C., NSAC, that pulls us all together to advocate for fair policy. Broadfork is just one small part of this much bigger effort.
When you eat a bag of salad that we grew, or munch on one of our carrots, you may not be soon thinking about how those bites connect you with other farmers, researchers, and policy specialists around the country and beyond. But we wouldn’t be here without the work of these others.
Our work is made even more enjoyable, and we are made smarter, after reconnecting with our beloved peer community at annual conferences.
Such wonderful post-conference feelings make it easier for us to find, upon returning home to our farm, that the record-setting ZERO degree weather earlier this week frost-burned the majority of the greens in our greenhouses. Sigh…They will likely grow back, but we must wait. Regardless, the true 2017 season is ahead of us still, and so…
Sign up for 2017 Farm Shares is now open, via our website, for everyone: returning members, those on the waiting list, and anyone else.
This week’s harvest includes:
Carrots, Chervil, Kale, Parsley, Turnips…and our Organic Hearth Baked Bread (Whole Wheat, Sunny Greens, Seed, & Raisin loaves for this weekend). Also available: Pepper Jelly & Tomato Chutney.
2017 Market Share CSA Members: Reserve your selection online to pick up Saturday, January 14th at our farm, at Good Health Herbs, or at the Farmers Market @ St. Stephens.
Anything remaining as of Saturday morning, plus the bread we will bake, we’ll bring to the Farmer’s Market @ St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in the West End of Richmond
{Indoors through March, Saturdays, 9-12.}
{You can also purchase our goods through Richmond’s online farmers’ market (www.FallLineFarms.com – use code “Holiday2016” to waive the subscription fee) }
Enjoy ~
Janet, Dan, & the whole Broadfork crew
Want to follow along during the week, including Farm Stand updates? Visit us on Facebook or Instagram.
