CSA A-OK

Dear Kimberton CSA community,
 
I hope all is well.
 
For those members who have not had an opportunity to read our latest update on COVID-19 protocol, please take some time to review it here. We will be sending out our introduction packages next week via email. In these documents you will have the opportunity to sign up for a specific pick up/u-pick window as we will be altering our regular farm hours when the season starts in 5 weeks’ time. Partial share members will also be allocated into Group A or B in this document. The first pick up for Full, Box, or Partial Group A shares will be 5/26 or 5/29 and for Partial Group B shares 6/2 or 6/5, depending on your selected pick up day—Tuesday or Friday.
 
All shares this season will be pre-packaged for a quick pick up and members will need to bring their own scissors and containers for u-pick. There will also be a strict one member per share policy for pick up and u-pick. Please remember, one member per share is just a temporary measure. We expect our new COVID-19 protocol to ebb and flow as the season commences.

On another note, we have closed our online sign ups. Please email me if you want to be put on our waiting list. There is the possibility—but no guarantee—of a few spots opening up.

Blackberries have been weeded.

Pathways have been flooded.

I’d say it’s been since about mid-March that we have seen a significant increase in the number of sign-ups. It’s kinda caught up with us! We function on a first come, first serve basis. There is no other option, as we need to meet our operating expenses.
 
We realize we are very fortunate to be in this situation; despite the unfortunate circumstances. Even before Frank and I took over the farm in 2017, KCSA had not been meeting its membership capacity. The farm had to diversify its income streams to be able to make ends meet. I was at KCSA’s very first Farmer’s Market in Malvern in 2013, selling lettuces the size of my head! Some more Farmers’ Markets followed in the interim, splashed with a little wholesale until Frank and I inherited three Farmer’s Markets and a restaurant account, along with the CSA. Due to a lack of transport, personnel, and experience, we only had the capacity to take on one market at the beginning and chose Lansdale Farmers’ Market.
 
After our first year running the farm, we anticipated a drop in our CSA retention rate. This was to be expected under new management. That same year, we had the opportunity to be part of a new start up farmers’ market in Fishtown, Philadelphia. We took the chance with the hope that it would be a success. And some weeks were, for us at least. However, others were not and overall sales were down with us and only one other vendor making it through to the end of the season. The market subsequently folded.
 
So, it was only two months ago, where we were worried about how to make up the difference in our budget! We had offers of other markets but decided to wait for the right opportunity. In addition to dealing with a wet spring, farmers have been scrambling around setting up online stores or downloading online platforms to administrate and customize their sales. So, especially in cities, there is going to be more pre-ordered, pre-packaged boxes at markets. How this will affect sales is anyone’s guess!

 We have been told for a few years now that online stores and administrative and customizable software is the way forward for the local food movement (mainly by companies selling such items)! It does make sense. In part, local, organic, CSA farmers have been victims of their own success. From filling a niche in the market—where communities wanted to eat healthy, wholesome, sustainable food and needed someone to grow it for them—to then expanding to meet additional demand through Farmer’s Markets, restaurant sales, natural food stores, and coops. There was a boom! Fast forward to 2020 and we are now competing with large corporate entities, online shopping, 2 hour delivery, boxed meals, “organic’ hydroponics, grub hub, “healthy” fast food, etc!
 
Yet, here we are, with a bustling CSA…and one Farmer’s Market. I feel privileged. I’d say I am a bit of a CSA purist!
 
Nevertheless, I’m also a realist. I get that this is an unprecedented year. COVID-19 has got people thinking local food again, which is brilliant. Plus, with the stay-in-place directive, we finally have enough time to cook! In fact, crises and emergencies are synonymous with bursts of localized food production, especially home or allotment gardening. Think Liberty Gardens (1917-1920) during WWI, Relief Gardens (1930-1939) during the Great Depression, Victory Gardens (1941-1945) during WWII, and Community Gardens (1970’s-onwards) in food insecure urban neighborhoods (see Pudup 2007).
 
The reason I got into farming in the first place was by studying local food systems at school. Once you start doing the research, the contradictions in the conventional food system are quite apparent. Environmental degradation, social injustice, and animal abuse, to name a few. These are not sustainable practices. That’s not to say there is no place for some version of conventional agriculture or, indeed, global markets. Obviously, there is. However, it is times like these that we realize that small scale farmers, organic growers and local food producers need to take precedence. We can change the world and make it a little better one meal at a time!

Thanks for your support. Lets hope for a good harvest season!

Best,
Andrew

KCSA vs COVID-19 (Round 3)

Dear Kimberton CSA community,

In our last COVID-19 update, we discussed a few ideas on how we can lower the risk of spreading coronavirus between members and staff when the season starts on Tuesday 5/26 and Friday 5/29. Although still 6 weeks away, we are erring on the side of caution, and therefore, have made some concrete plans on how to keep us all a little bit safer during pick up.

Please remember, we hope these are only temporary measures! Obviously, when schools go back and travel restrictions are curbed, we’ll be readdressing the situation. This is the plan for the worst…we are hoping for the best.

The following bullet points are the key changes all members need to read, understand fully, and adhere to at the start of the season and then until further notice:

·        All shares will be prepackaged for members prior to pick up at the farm.

·        Only one member, per share, is allowed out of their vehicle to pick up and u-pick their share.

·        Members need to bring their own harvest tools and containers for u-pick.

·        Members will need to sign up in advance for a 3-hour window on their pick up day during which they can pick up their share and do u-pick.

Prepackaged Box Shares

We are abandoning our market-style CSA pick up for the time being. Our full, partial and box shares will all be prepacked for a quick and easy pick up. Members (one member per share) will come to the front of the pick-up shed and sign in with either Frank or I as soon as they park their car. No idling please!
 
At this point, box share members or full and partial share members who opt not to u-pick that week will be given their share and vacate the premises. Members who do opt to do their u-pick that week can do so but will be limited to 30-minutes.
 
U-pick maps, signs, availability and quantities will be visually accessible to all our members at the sign in table. Any questions should be directed to myself or Frank. Please do not approach or engage with any other members of staff and be courteous as you enter and exit the parking lot in your vehicles, as we only have one entrance gate.
 
Only one member per share can pick up and u-pick.

This is by far the most important new protocol. The easiest way to minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19 is minimizing the amount of people on the farm. Members should also keep the recommended social distancing of 6ft (2m) from each other when signing in and u-picking.
 
Those members designated by their household to pick up and u-pick are highly encouraged to take their temperature twice a day. If you have a fever, cough, or trouble breathing, please do not come onto the farm. You should self-isolate for at least 7 days and consult a doctor. If you are ill, you can designate a healthy friend or alternate family member to come pick up, as those nutrient packed veggies will be beneficial!
 
Please, please, please: we are an essential business! We have essential workers. Only one member per share is essential for households to get their veggies.

 Members need to bring their own harvest tools and containers for u-pick

Members will need to bring their own harvesting tools and harvest containers for u-pick to reduce potential cross contamination. Most u-pick items can be harvested by hand but if you forget your containers or scissors (for herbs and flowers) you will not have access to any here on the farm.
 
Access beyond the front of the pick-up shed and open u-pick areas will also be unavailable to members for the time being, this includes our water spickets. Members will have access to a porta potty and a hand washing station adjacent to the car park but sanitizer will not be available. An area will also be designated out the front of the shed for members to bring back the previous week’s wax cardboard box, broken down, for us to sanitize and reuse. Wax boxes only please, no bags, rubber bands or pint/quart containers.
 
Allocated pick up and u-pick times into 3-hour windows

We are going to breakdown pick up and u-pick times into the following five 3-hour windows.

• Tuesday 1pm-4pm

• Tuesday 4pm-7pm

• Friday 1pm-4pm

• Friday 4pm-7pm

• Saturday 9am-12pm

Members will receive an introduction package in two weeks’ time via email and will need to allocate themselves into one of the above time slots for their designated one member per share to complete their (bi)weekly pick up and u-pick. In this introduction package partial shares will also be allocated into either Group A or B. Once members are signed up for their 3-hour window pick up and u-pick window, any changes need to be approved by me via email. Other essential workers, vulnerable populations, and partial shares will have preference. The farm will be closed at all other times to our members. No exceptions. Please plan accordingly.
 
We believe these temporary changes will not really affect the vast majority of our members. In fact, shorter pick up and u-pick times, box shares, and bringing your own u-pick scissors is pretty standard for most other CSA’s!
 
We understand that the hardest part of these restrictions for some members will be not spending quality time with your family and friends here on the farm. Especially as Spring fever hits during those first few weeks of pick up! We sincerely hope that these are just temporary measures as we, too, get a kick out of members having fun together and enjoying their family time on the farm.
 
However, please let me be quite clear—ours and your enjoyment does not outweigh potentially contracting COVID-19, or worse, unwittingly infecting others. Please, think about this season as all about the veggies, not the experience! These new pick-up protocols are the best way we can ensure a healthy productive workplace whilst trying to maintain the traditional culture and operations of KCSA as much as we can during the 2020 season.
 
I hope this finds you well,
Andrew

OMRI IPM @ KCSA

Dear Kimberton CSA community,
 
I hope this finds you well.
 
In case you missed it, last week’s newsletter had some important information for members about potential farm protocol regarding COVID-19. You can view it here.
 
We also mentioned that our Purple Martin scouts had arrived! Day by day, the colony is starting to grow. Thanks to Marylin and Gretchen, we also have some resident bluebirds on the farm. In fact, I think there is an overall increase in birds. Unfortunately, this includes the pesky ones, too, i.e., house sparrows de-housing the indigenous bird populations. I feel like I am seeing more wild life everywhere! Less noise, traffic, standing pollution due to COVID-19, perhaps? Maybe I’m imagining it.
 
It’ll be interesting to see what the insect population is like this season as well. Such a mild winter, coupled with potentially less spraying by local authorities and in-home gardens due to COVID-19(!?), we could see an increase in pollinators. On the other side of the coin, we may also see an increase in pest populations. But don’t worry, we have an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) system at the farm, which, incidentally, the Purple Martins are part of!

Now IPM is a bit of a buzz word, so here is my take on it. It is pretty straight forward—different methods of proactive and reactive pest control are integrated into a management plan. The plan should try to balance minimizing reactive controls and prioritizing proactive ones, whilst favoring the least biologically impactful methods. Proactive controls are usually the least harmful. Examples of proactive controls at KCSA include:

• The Purple Martins: We house a colony of Purple Martins (they fly all the way up from the Amazon rain forest to mate in the US over the summer) eat flying insects on the farm. Their diet consists of moths, gnats, flies and mosquitoes, so there is inevitably collateral damage. It is a mutually beneficial relationship: we provide the homes, they provide the pest control. It’s a win-win!

• Physical barriers: From netting and bird scare tape to sprinkling diatomaceous earth or clay on our plants to ward away insects, the physical barriers are the most common control on the farm. Soon you will see hundreds of sqft or row cover over our spring plantings to create a barrier between the insects and the plants. Although it is a lot of work to “hoop and cover,” this practice also adds a bit of heat, which, in the spring in particular, helps plant growth. Another win-win!

• Good farm management: Finally (but not conclusively) we have the most important of all—good farm management! Yes, a healthy soil means healthy plants, which means less chance of an insect attack or infestation. Crop rotations are essential. Having the same type of plant that is susceptible to the same type of pest in the same place year to year will create problems.

Most reactive pest controls are either liquid or powder sprays. Now, having an IPM system, does not necessarily mean you are organic. There is no certification process for IPM and I don’t think there can be. Technically, every farm has an IPM system—even if your only action is running around the fields with a fly-swatter! Our IPM system is a little more sophisticated than that, but we’re also not at the bells and whistles, scientific end of it, tracking insect populations to optimize the impact of spraying—although we follow the same sentiment. This approach is mainly adopted in production orchards, as it minimizes spraying non-Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) certified products.

 A farm’s IPM system, therefore, is part of good farm management. It’s our compliance with the USDA (organic) and Demeter USA (biodynamic) certification that regulates which sprays we can use at Kimberton CSA. They need to be OMRI certified. And that’s not to say we use them all! We have a select few that we use if/when we deem a pest population needs to be controlled, but only after all other avenues are exhausted.
 
Even then, we tend to lean on using the more benign sprays, i.e., Neem Oil instead of Pyganic. It's true that both of these products are derived from plants (the neem tree and chrysanthemum flowers, respectively); however, the former temporarily inhibits some insect’s reproduction cycle and the latter kills indiscriminately. Both are usually administered close to dusk to limit the number of pollinators that are out and about and protect the plant from any exacerbated U.V. damage via the spraying.
 
As we are certified Biodynamic by Demeter USA, we also use proactive preparation sprays 500 and 501 on the farm, These augment the biological activity on the farm and its overall health. Yes, it's official: using Biodynamic principles is just good farm management and, therefore, a great addition to our IPM system--biologically speaking. Further, experienced biodynamic farmers can also use other tinctures and preparations re-actively, particularly in trying to reduce the impact of fungal diseases on the plants.

Well that's it for this week. We should have another update next week.

In the meantime, stay safe.

Cheers,
Andrew

KCSA vs COVID-19 (Round 2)

Dear Kimberton CSA community,
 
I hope this finds you well.
 
As you'll appreciate, we are continuing to adapt our policies and protocols at the farm as the COVID-19 situation develops. With the start of the season still eight weeks away (first pick-ups are Tuesday, 5/26, and Friday, 5/29), it would be remiss of me to guarantee anything at this time except:
 

We will be growing and distributing vegetables throughout the 2020 season!

Unless there is a dramatic, positive shift in the course of this pandemic, however, a few changes will be necessary.
 
First, we will have to temporarily abandon our market-style CSA model. To ensure the safety and well-being of our members and staff, we will have full and partial shares prepacked into boxes. Our new box share program will remain unchanged. This will limit the amount of people potentially handling your food and create a quick and easy pick up.
 
To accommodate the smooth operation of this change in pick-up protocol, we will also have to restrict the open pick up windows. One possibility is prearranged and limited member pick up times within the larger pick-up window, reducing on farm traffic and congestion. Another option is to move our pick-up location adjacent to the farm, somewhere that could accommodate a “drive thru” system or potentially new pick up locations further afield to reduce travel for members not in the immediate Phoenixville area. We are also discussing the option of home delivery for our members who fall within COVID-19’s more “vulnerable populations.” We will keep you updated as our discussion progress.

Another big question on everybody’s lips is what about u-pick? Well, this is a little more complicated and has more potential to ebb and flow throughout the season depending on timely government advice. At the very least, we may need to have restrictions—similarly to local grocery stores—with a one person per share on farm policy at any one time. Having prearranged u-pick time slots and time limits for members is another option to ensure a steady but safe flow of members on the farm.
 
Unfortunately, and regardless of which plan we move forward with, members who u-pick will have to bring their own scissors or harvest tools and packing supplies to avoid cross contamination. The shed will probably be out of bounds to members during u-pick hours and we will ask all members and staff to adhere to the current, recommended, 6ft (2m) social distancing protocol. We can provide separate staff and member hand-washing stations.
 
The worst-case scenario would be a temporary suspension of member u-pick. If this were to happen, we will harvest some u-pick items to include in the prepacked shares. But please bear in mind that the reason most u-pick items are in fact u-pick items is because they are time-intensive to harvest. In this scenario we would try our very best.

I realize this is a lot to take in and, although most of the information above are just deliberations between Frank, myself and Becky at the moment, we wanted to keep you in the loop and assure you that we are proactively thinking about ours, yours and everyone in our larger, collective community’s health and well-being. This truly is an unprecedented time.

 We hope to maintain the traditional culture and operations of KCSA as much as possible throughout the 2020 season. As they evolve, new pandemic protocols may feel inconvenient or uncomfortable, but we ask that you work with us to ensure current and future access to the bounty of the farm. For us, this will require more administrative work, labor, and increased production costs on our already shoe string budget. We welcome the challenge! In return, we ask that you plan in advance, respect scheduled pick-up times and protocols, come prepared to u-pick with scissors and containers, and prioritize our community’s well-being.
 
We are all going to have to continue to be flexible and show humility as the harvest season commences. It’s an extraordinary time and although this situation really, really, really sucks and we are potentially facing our own mortality (and that of our loved ones), for the most part—and although we need to proceed with extreme caution—currently we are in a good place. You can still buy organic chocolate chip cookies in Kimberton Whole Foods, prescriptions are being filled, and I believe a stimulus relief package is being distributed.
 
I have a handful of good friends spread around the world. We remain in good spirits via What’s App, Zoom, email, and Facetime. Silly memes and videos are sent to liven the spirits. My mom has not failed to rally our extended family everyday by forwarding a varying degree of amusing Facebook posts. It’s the communication, the reaching out, the checking in that counts. This is a time that we will hopefully look back on and be proud of having been part of an empathetic, grateful, collective, human experience.
 
Oh, and a Purple Martin scout arrived on Friday!
 
Be safe,
Andrew

The Lamborghini of Purple Martin homes

Dear Kimberton CSA community,
 
We hope all is well.
 
The farm continues to gear up for the season ahead. We will be open and distributing vegetables as planned, starting May 26. Last week's newsletter was essentially a statement on how KCSA is currently dealing with the evolving COVID-19 pandemic. You can view that newsletter here. We will let you know if anything changes regarding our protocol.

Last November, we asked members to contribute toward some new housing for our Purple Martin colony. We quickly met our goal (thanks!!) and with additional contributions from Marylin and Gretchen (our Purple Martin experts), the farm, and a nice discount from the Purple Martin Conservation Association we purchased the T-14 housing unit.

The T-14 is the Lamborghini of Purple Martin homes. It is essentially a little condo complex suited to the needs of our migratory Amazonian visitors and Purple Martin conservers! Its easy to raise and lower; pull out, check, and report on the nest boxes; and, most importantly, evicting the invasive House Sparrow! And a few weeks ago, we got it all set up.

 To be honest, the introduction of the T-14 is a little bitter sweet. The gourds that it has replaced was one half of a quite iconic image at the farm. It is going to look pretty weird this year, but ultimately, it is an upgrade. The T-14 is some serious kit.

The Purple Martin's haven't been spotted on the farm yet, however, recent scout arrivals have been recorded in Paradise and Douglasville, PA. We are hoping for some action later on this week. Hopefully, we'll have some more news for you next week.

Best,
Andrew

KCSA vs COVID-19

Dear Kimberton CSA community,

My farm mantra is plan for the worst, hope for the best. As farmers, COVID-19 is just another problem that we can mitigate but can’t control. We truly are hoping for the best, but feel it prudent to have a plan in case of the worst.

From my understanding, the three tell-tale symptoms of COVID-19 are as follows:

1.       New. dry, continuous cough.

2.       Fever.

3.       Trouble breathing.

At KCSA our current staff protocol is to take our temperature twice a day—before and after work. If we have a low-grade fever of 100F or above we do not come to the farm. Further, if we contract a new dry, continuous cough or have trouble breathing, even without a low-grade fever, we do not come to the farm…we call for support! Obviously, runny noses, continuous sneezing, phlegmy coughs, and aching bones are all other symptoms that we would not come to the farm with either.

As for our current day-to-day operations, there is not too much more we can do beyond our continued compliance with the Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA). Supposedly, the virus can survive on dry, hard surfaces for up to 24 hours; however, COVID-19 does not fare well on wet, organic surfaces. So, there is minimal risk of transmission to and from vegetables. Nevertheless, we will be even more vigilant about washing our hands, sanitizing our workspaces, not touching our faces and keeping our personal distance during the work day, in case one of us is unwittingly asymptomatic but infectious.

Curly kale seedlings.

Becky sowing spinach.

As for our members, for the time being, please do not visit the farm. If you have any questions, you can email us, message us on Facebook or Instagram, leave a voicemail, or write us.

Please be assured, the 2020 KCSA is going ahead as planned. We are all set up for the season, we will be growing and distributing biodynamic vegetables. Members should expect our welcome package via email at the end of April and by then we will have more information to determine whether we will need a “pickup protocol” and what that could potentially look like.

We will continue to communicate with you via our newsletter, bringing you farm news and commentary. There are going to be interruptions in all our lives in the run up to the start of the season and we sincerely wish you and yours health and good fortune. We all have family members, friends, colleagues, and neighbors that are vulnerable to the complications of contracting COVID-19 and there are many others that do not have the same resources, privilege, or purchasing power that we have. Through this testing time we need to remember that we have a responsibility to them as well. 

Sincerely,

Andrew

Who controls the present, controls the past.

Dear Kimberton CSA community,
 
Last newsletter we divulged a little history surrounding the land that Kimberton CSA occupies. You can read that newsletter here on our website. This week we promised a little more info on the original farmers: Barbara and Kerry Sullivan.
 
Since taking over at Kimberton CSA, Frank and I have been told on numerous occasions that we have some "pretty big boots to fill." But it wasn't until we started going through the KCSA archives that we realized just how big those boots were.

Kimberton CSA was the first CSA in PA and the third in the country. Back in 1987 the onus was on the community to find the right farmers for the job. Lots of experience and training was necessary to start a farming business in a meadow off of West Seven Stars Road! So, the core group of members interested in starting KCSA, spearheaded by the Director of the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association—Rod Shouldice—contacted Barbara and Kerry Sullivan.

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The Sullivans were already known on the biodynamic farm scene. They both had apprenticed with Alan Chadwick in CA, who brought the Biodynamic French Intensive Method over to the US. Alan is quoted as being the "greatest horticulturalist of the 20th century" and a "gardener of souls." So, I’d imagine apprenticing with him was a pretty good place to start!

Barbara and Kerry also studied biodynamics at Emerson College in England. Emerson College offers immersive, full-time study in biodynamics and other Rudolf Steiner related disciplines. And to top it off, Barbara and Kerry had additional experience running the Mother Earth News magazine's demonstration garden in NC!
 
Now this is quite a resume. Add 15 years of starting, building and running KCSA, I’m in awe! Luckily, thirty years on, such esteemed training and biodynamic pedigree was not necessary to have the opportunity to take over the oldest CSA in PA! It was more about hard work, perseverance, and fortunate timing!

Barbara and Kerry Sullivan 2017

Erik and Birgit Landowne 2016

I believe this was true for the second generation of KCSA farmers, Birgit and Erik Landowne as well. If I remember correctly, Brigit and Erik met as interns on a farm before Birgit apprenticed under the Sullivans at KCSA. When the Sullivans decided to move back to NH, another couple were in line to take over. During their transition, however, they got cold feet, so the Sullivans called Birgit and offered her and her young family the opportunity to move to Kimberton and take over the farm.
 
It was a rushed transition for the Landownes at the end of the 2001 season, but with a good amount of support via phone calls with the Sullivans, they soon found their feet as they expanded and pushed KCSA forward another 15 years. In 2011, I turned up on the scene—with significantly less grey hair—and worked as an intern for three seasons. I met Frank during this time as he interned in the summer of 2012 and for the full season in 2013. The rest, as they say, is history!

Breathing life into that meadow plot on Seven Stars Road and nurturing the community that still supports us today is something for which we’ll always be grateful to Barbara and Kerry. Expanding and driving the CSA into the 21st century, plus all the knowledge and skills imparted to us by the Lansdownes, is something we’ll never forget. This is Frank and my fourth year running the farm. We look forward to continue to provide the KCSA community with the fresh, biodyanmic veggies they have been accustomed to for the last 33 years!

Cheers,
Andrew

Who controls the past, controls the future.

Dear Kimberton CSA community,
 
Thanks to all our members who have signed up for 2020 so far! We really appreciate the early commitments. Having that cashflow at the start of the year means we can purchase the supplies we need for the CSA. It is really important to be ready and organized when spring hits, as this sets the course for the rest of the season. During the winter months, early sign ups allow us to plan better during the day and sleep sounder at night!

For anyone who missed our last newsletter, you can access it here on our website. In it, we highlighted a few changes for the 2020 season after collating the results of our end of year survey. We also mentioned that we'd be sowing soon and I can confirm that last Thursday (2/6) was our first sowing of 2020! It was a flower day, so we sowed a new variety of snapdragon, and some familiar ageratum and statice varieties for our first succession of u-pick flowers. Next week will be the first vegetable sowing as we get our greenhouse curly kale and Swiss chard started. Our early bunching onions, parsley, herbs for the herb boxes, and some more u-pick flowers are also on the schedule!

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Beyond taking sign ups, sowing flowers, and planning for the new season, we have been pretty busy since the last newsletter. Last week we attended the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) winter conference in Lancaster, PA and the weekend before we paid a visit to our friends and partners Spiritual Foods For A New Millennium (SFNM) in Bethesda, MD.

The PASA conference is always a good place to network, catch up with fellow farmers, and learn some new practical applications and policies affecting small scale, diversified vegetable farmers. In Bethseda, however, instead of being in the audience we were the ones who gave a short presentation! We talked to a group of interested folk about KCSA, introduced a few biodynamic concepts and discussed the difference between organic and biodynamic agriculture at SFNM's bi-monthly Peace lunch.

During our research for this presentation, we waded through stacks of old newsletters, pledge sheets and notes that were handed to us by Birgit and Erik Landowne (prior KCSA farmers) during the farm transition from them to Frank and I in 2017. We had gone through some of these documents before and were familiar with the more contemporary history of the CSA, however, we came across an unverified, typed note that claimed that the land we farm (and the land Seven Stars Farm and the Kimberton Waldorf School is on) was part of a 30,000 acre plot that once belonged to William Penn. Yes, our history just got a little richer!

Sunday's full moon...the snow moon.

Our u-pick strawberry plants are starting to wake from their winter slumber.

Skipping over the question: who owned the land before William Penn (!?), the unverified typed note explains that those 30,000 acres were subsequently purchased by Dr Daniel Cox, Sir Mathias Vincent and Major Robert Thompson in 1686. Fast forward a hundred years and a Clement Rentgen was on the land operating a forge and slitting mill along French Creek, rolling iron bars for the shipbuilding industry. In the 1850's, Alexander Kennedy bought the property and he successfully petitioned the County Commissioners to build the covered bridge most of you drive over to get your veggies: the Kennedy Bridge.

After Alexander Kennedy, H.A.W. Myrin owned the land and started the Kimberton Farms Agricultural School, which later merged with the Kimberton Farms School into the Kimberton Waldorf School (KWS). I believe it was H.A.W. Myrin that became interested in biodynamic agriculture and not only donated 400 acres to the Kimberton Waldorf School but also invited Dr. Ehrenfred Pfeiffer to guide a biodynamic agricultural training center on the land. It should be noted that it is the same Dr. Pfeiffer of the Pfeiffer Center in Chestnut Ridge, NY.

This all led up to KCSA's formation in 1987. At the time, Kimberton was the headquarters for the Bio-dynamic Farming and Gardening Association--now simply the Biodynamic Association--and the Director of the Association was Rod Shouldice, who had been sowing the seeds of starting a CSA in Kimberton for a while. Like most things in life, timing was key as 1986 saw a reassessment of the KWS's management of Seven Stars Farm, which coincided with a talk at the farm by Trauger Groh (who helped start the Temple-Wilton Community Farm). It was decided that an experimental plot of 5-acres would be set aside to start The Kimberton Community Supported Agriculture.

With a core group of members, support from KWS, Seven Stars Farm, the Biodynamic Association, all KCSA needed was some farmers! And it is the story of the farmers that we will pick up in the next newsletter in a couple of weeks.

Cheers,
Andrew