Mowing Oats & Sweet Clover (© Image courtesy of Roxbury Farm)

Roxbury Farm has been a pioneer of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) since getting started in 1990, and it’s been going strong ever since. Located in Kinderhook in New York State’s scenic and historic Hudson Valley, Roxbury Farm was the first CSA to serve members in New York City.

Community Supported Agriculture began as an alternative to giant agribusiness. It is grounded in a philosophy of biodynamic farming, which recognizes that all systems, whether economic, ecological, or biological, are microcosms having their own integrity, while simultaneously being dependent on one another.

To succeed, the alternative farms build direct relationships between farmers and consumers. Consumers become members who pay in advance for a share of the farm’s bounty. At Roxbury Farm a share provides 10-17 pounds of freshly harvested produce each week and members can gather their seasonal goodies at a convenient pickup site. Each member or family is asked to contribute three to four hours of time, helping to set up or clean up the site, delivering leftover food to a pantry, or telephoning other members with reminders.

Healthy, Sustainable Farming

At Roxbury Farm vegetables, strawberries, and herbs are produced without the use of any artificial or genetically modified inputs. Soil fertility is maintained through the use of compost and crop rotations. Roxbury Farm signed the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York’s “Farmer’s Pledge”. The pledge was created as an alternative to the cumbersome USDA organic certification process.

Community supported agriculture means being connected--to each other, to a farm, to the earth. At Roxbury Farm they take the word community seriously and playfully. Members develop close connections to the farm by visiting the U-pick garden, participating in farm workdays, potlucks, and other events.

The harvest gets shared in many ways. Food that is fresh and clean and reasonably priced gets shared along with the responsibility of distributing it. Uncollected food gets shared with homeless shelters and food pantries. The life of the farm and the life of the community become part of a shared alternative that represents a healthier and more sustainable food system.

If you’d like to learn more about the Farm & becoming a member go to: Roxbury Farm CSA