A2O-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, May 18, 1996
Community Supports Agriculture In This Kimberton *Garden Of Eden’
(Continued from Pag* A 1)
tomatoes are raised on five beds
each measuring 165 feet long.
Because of the lack of space, no
sweet com is grown.
“The thing about this system
that’s nice is that we can be so
diversified,” said Barbara Sulli
van. * ‘We don’t have cost analyses
on every single crop. We look at it
as a total system. We’re trying to
feed people, enhance the environ
ment, and make a good living
not necessarily making the maxi
mum possible profit”
Barbara said what they grow
provides a balanced mix that “you
would see in somebody’s
kitchen.”
The CSA garden includes about
10 acres of silty loam soil owned
by and leased from the Kimberton
Waldorf School, a private school
for kindergarteners through 12th
grade. It is located next to Seven
Stars Farm. For years, the land was
known as Kimberton Farms. Now
it is leased by the Seven Stars
Dairy Farm.
Too often, the Sullivans believe,
vegetable production focuses on
“monoculture” growing acres
and acres of one type of crop, sell
ing bushels and bushels of it
wholesale, and trying to make a
living using high levels of inputs
for maximum yields. Their efforts
are looking the other way
through biodynamic farming, as it
is called, the Sullivans grow a wide
variety of produce with natural
inputs for fertility.
The Kimberton CSA was the
first CSA in Pennsylvania, begun
in 1987, and the third to begin in
the country. There are probably
about 1,000 CSAs in the country
now, according to Kerry.
Both Kerry and Barbara have a
wide range of experience in biody
namic fanning, which began in
Europe in the 1920 s and continues
strong. Kerry said they were
Learn How Community
Garden Operates
At Kimberton Field Day
KIMBERTON (Chester Co.)
Barbara and Kerry Sullivan will
host a field day at their Communi
ty Supported Agriculture (CSA)
farm near Kimberton on Saturday,
June 8. from three to six in the
afternoon.
The open house will be of inter
est to farmers and nonfarmers
alike, as the Sullivans work with
both the rural and urban commun
ities operating one of the oldest
CSAs in Pennsylvania.
From 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Barbara
will discuss Community Sup
ported Agriculture, a form of
marketing that is gaining ground
in this country. This CSA provides
eight months of fresh fruits and
vegetables to ISO member fami
lies who each pledge up front to
pay for their fair share of the
produce.
If you are a farmer looking for
an alternative marketing strategy,
you are interested in starting a
CSA, or you are simply someone
with an interest in agricultural
land preservation, agricultural
viability in urbanizing areas, or
community involvement in agri
culture. this session will add con
siderably to your understanding of
the “how to’s” of CSA.
From 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., the spot
light will turn on Kerry* who will
lead the tour of the organic/
trained in Great Britain to grow
crops biodynamically. The method
makes use of not only figuring
crop nutrition but looking at a wide
range of environmental ‘ ‘holistic”
factors that provide a healthy crop.
“You leant to think in terms of
the farm being a self-contained
organism, a living system,” said
Barbara. ‘ ‘Most of the inputs come
from the farm and wastes are
recycled on the farm.”
With the CSA, which has 150
member-households, people have
begun to think in terms of the
“community,” according to
Barbara.
“Members are really excited
about it when they join and then
it’s really a few years before it gets
ingrained, and it just becomes a
part of their life,” she said. “We
have quite a few members now that
have been with us nine years.”
No work is required of CSA
members, but some sign up as
members of the CSA to contribute
to some of the work on the com
munity garden.
“Almost all of the strawberry
beds are adopted by the mem
bers,” said Kerry. “Certain mem
bers will say, ‘l’ll take cate of this
bed for a year, weeding and what
ever it needs.’ That’s worked out
very well. So that frees us to grow
other produce for them. They get
excited about weeding strawber
ries because they love them.”
Members pay a yearly fee
depending on share size. One full
share, at a cost of $950, allows
members to pick up harvested pro
duce twice a week.-A half share, at
$6OO each, allows members to
obtain produce only once a week.
In addition, pick-your-own crops
are available for much of the sea
son and are included in the share
price.
Fof the fruits, flowers, and veg
etables that are pick your own,
(Turn to Pagt A2l)
biodynamic farm, focusing on ear
ly season and spring-extended
vegetable production. Avid home
gardeners as well as market far
mers will find much to glean from
this impressive grower. The Sulli
vans routinely grow and sell some
of the earliest green vegetables
and they will be gearing for full
production by mid-June and fully
expect to continue harvesting
through late fall for the CSA
members.
From S p.m. to 6 p.m., Kerry
and Barbara are willing to field
questions about their operation,
composting, CSA, biodynamic
and organic production, and any
other questions participants might
have. This open session will allow
the participants to get the “nitty
gritty” from the farmers in an
informal dialog.
Preregistration is requested.
Please call Kathy Koehler at (610)
683-141 S to register and to
receive detailed directions. The
farm is located on Seven Stars
Road opposite the Kimberton
Waldorf School. Refreshments
will be available from 2:30 p.m.
This field day is sponsored by
RISA, the Regional Infrastructure
for Supporting Agriculture Pro
ject, and is supported by a grant
from the W.K. Kellogg
Foundation.
CSAs are labor Intensive and demand a lot of time and management. But they can
draw on a vast membership to volunteerthelr time. At the high tunnel are, left to right,
Cary Oshlns, Rodaie Institute; Jonda Crosby, RISA associate; and Kerry and Barbara
Sullivan, owners of the Kimberton CSA.
Members pay a yearly feed depending on share size. On the blackboard Is the pro
duce available when the season opens May 21.
Member* can make auggestlons about what they want to aee grown but the fanners
make all final decisions about production. At left is Kerry Sullivan, at the cooler door,
and right is Cary Oshlns, Rodale Institute.