Brookfield Farm - Community Supported Agriculture for the Pioneer Valley and Greater Boston

Brookfield Farm is a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm located in Amherst, Massachusetts, in the Pioneer Valley. There are weekly deliveries to the Greater Boston area as well.

Brookfield Farm is owned by the non-profit Biodynamic Farmland Conservation Trust, which is dedicated to promoting biodynamic agriculture through farmer training and educational programs.

Brookfield Farm is a living learning center through which we improve our understanding and care of the earth.

The concept of CSA is simple:

*) Each year you buy a "share" of the harvest, becomng a "shareholder" of the farm.

*) The yearly share price supports the actual running costs of the farm.

*) In return, the farm supplies each shareholder with their weekly share of produce based on the actual production of the farm.

*) Brookfield farm offers additional produce to be picked by the shareholders. These Pick Your Own (PYO) crops include strawberries, snap peas, green beans, raspberries, cherry tomatoes, various herbs, fresh cut flowers, and a variety of other seasonal foods.

Brookfield Farm uses environmentally sustainable, biodynamic growing techniques. It uses no pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers of any kind. The farm staff and shareholders see the farm as a living system, where its elements work together to build and maintain soil fertility. Through a balanced crop rotation and a strict composting and cover cropping system, we leave our land better than we found it.

Brookfield Farm's share prices are based solely on the costs of production which are kept to a minimum. This is possible because the farm deals directly with its shareholders. The farmers are paid a living wage; shareholders are provided with the highest quality vegetables available at the lowest price around (based on 1995 market survey). Brookfield Farm accepts Food Stamps, too.

Besides offering fresh organic produce, shareholders can also take a relaxing walk through the woodland trails and open fields, have an exhilarating afternoon throwing hay bales into the barn, or give their children the thrill of a lifetime watching a calf being born.

Brookfield Farm becomes more than just a source of food, it can truly become a family's farm.

Seasonal festivals, social events, and educational opportunities for children and adults provide shareholders with a unique opportunity to create a community of people connected to each other through their connection to the earth.

Note that this is an unofficial lens about Brookfield Farm. You can find the farm's offical website at www.brookfieldfarm.org.