2023 annual fund
Dear Friend of Brookfield Farm,
As our fields are being put to bed for the season and the root cellar stocked for the winter share, we are also aiming to finish this year strong financially. I’m writing to invite you to join me and my family in making an annual contribution before December 31. The Annual Fund helps to bridge the gap between what our shares cover and the true cost of running the farm, ensuring we will have a farm that is resilient to climate and economic challenges well into the future.
We had another amazing season at Brookfield Farm. For our family, we revelled in the large size of the broccoli heads (never seen ‘em that big), beets (easier to prep for roasting and juicing), and leeks. It was a year where we all again appreciated the CSA model of sharing risks and rewards with our hardworking farmers. The weather was wet so we lost our watermelons and winter squash, but had bountiful amounts of so many other crops including peppers, cantaloupe, tomatoes and super sweet PYO cherry tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, onions, turnips, radishes, rutabagas, celeriac . . . and did I mention broccoli, beets, and leeks?
Kerry and Max are finishing their third year. They have continued many wonderful farm traditions like the pumpkin pick and started new ones like our annual plant sale. They were busy not only planning, planting, weeding, and harvesting with assistant manager Bonnie, apprentices Ryan and Danielle, and the crew to bring us all that wonderful produce; but also invested time and energy in projects to improve our farm and support our commitment to our community. There is a long list of accomplishments that will be detailed in Kerry and Max’s annual report but I will highlight a few here.
We completed two key projects to ensure our farm is prepared and resilient as our climate changes. We completed our grant funded cooler - the big white box in front of the barn - which has already proved essential. With the warm Fall weather, the root cellar was too warm to receive our storage crops so we stocked the cooler to the brim! We also received grant funding to build a well on our land on Warren Wright Road so we will be able to irrigate crops with increasing heat and drought in the region. We would not be able to do these critical projects with income generated solely from the shares; and in order to keep the share price within reach for many, we don't want to increase it every year. Instead, we look to grants and invite members who can make an additional gift to help.
Brookfield Farm continued our support of the community this season. Food insecurity is on the rise in our region. To help local families, we donated over 4,500 pounds of produce to area organizations like the Amherst Survival Center and partnered with Rachel’s Tables to reach pantries in Chicopee, Holyoke and Greenfield. We also donated food to our friends at Natural Roots Farm whose crops were severely impacted by extreme flooding. We brought the community to our farm, with Leila Tunnell, our farm educator, hosting over 130 Amherst elementary school students for on-farm educational visits, and apprentices from area farms as part of the Collaborative Regional Alliance Farmer Training program (CRAFT). And Kerry and Max brought their expertise to the community hosting a UMass vegetable production class for an afternoon on the farm.
Our volunteers help us build community on the Farm. Our Tuesday morning volunteer crew hand seeds almost all the crops in the greenhouse and helped organize and staff our second annual plant sale. The Brookfield Board members brought their sweat equity to a major clean-up day in the Spring, battling bittersweet and getting rid of old equipment. The Marcottte family transformed our front garden bed so there was something in bloom throughout the season. We also had another full season of fun events for all ages thanks to our event coordinators, Karen Tunnell and Carol Wood. Events included our Spring planting day, our largest Art behind the Barn ever coordinated by longtime shareholder Rosie Pearson, a corn roast, music in the barn, potato dig and pumpkin pick. And a big shout out to longtime Board member Roberta Lojko who brought us our new Little Lending Library, flower arranging workshops, and is the planning force behind the annual Harvest Dinner.
Our Annual Fund is an integral part of our budget and I contribute every year to ensure Brookfield Farm will thrive. The revenue from our 619 summer and 200 winter CSA shares covers the majority of the costs to run the farm, like buying seeds, fuel, and new equipment, and paying our farmers and other workers. The Annual Fund supports unanticipated costs and supplements grant funding for infrastructure upgrades. These funds also help us reach our goal of paying employees a fair wage, support our education and outreach work, and allow us to provide services for our members, like the Community Compost collection and access to our farm property walking trails.
Our goal is to raise $12,000 by December 31, 2023 so, on behalf of the board and our farmers, I invite you to participate. Last year, we raised over $11,000, in gifts from 96 people that ranged from $10 - $1000. This year we hope to receive gifts from 100 members, and we welcome a gift of any amount to help ensure that Brookfield Farm finishes 2023 strong and is prepared to thrive in 2024.
You can give online at https://www.brookfieldfarm.org/donate or by sending a check made out to Brookfield Farm, PO Box 227, Amherst, MA 01004. Thank you for being part of this incredible CSA community.
For the board and with deep appreciation,
Jessica Wolff
President
Biodynamic Farmland Conservation Trust
P.S. Don’t forget to check if your employer matches your contributions so your gift can go twice as far!