Farm Happenings at Hawkins Family Farm
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Welcome to the summer CSA!

Posted on May 31st, 2019 by Zach Hawkins

A new CSA season is here! We are delighted to have you join us as we make our way through the joys and struggles of producing food on a small family farm. We love Community Supported Agriculture because it’s all about relationships. Our members acknowledge the inherent riskiness of agriculture and make a commitment to support our farm through the ups and downs of an entire season. In return, we pledge to produce food of the highest quality, which means that it is freshly harvested, nutritious, flavorful, and raised in a manner that preserves and enriches the land for generations to come.

I’ll be frank: it’s been a difficult spring for farmers. I read somewhere that there weren’t more than two dry days in a row during the month of May, which means that, for farmers who rely on spring tillage to prepare for planting, it has been impossible to get into their fields because the soil is simply too wet. On our farm, however, we rely on a diversity of crops and a minimum-tillage philosophy to help us in challenging times like these. So, we are a bit behind in the garden planting schedule and the livestock rotation, and we may have to make some big changes to the field crop plan, but in a landscape of unplanted corn fields awash in bright blooms of yellow rocket, we are grateful to have vegetables growing, overwintered grains flowering (pictured), and livestock grazing green pastures.

My dad, Jeff, and I look forward to sharing the story of the season with you. For those of you on social media, you can find photos and videos from the farm on Facebook and Instagram. (If your farm share ever makes it into one of your posts, please tag us!) And we encourage you to visit the farm and see where your food is grown by attending a Fridays on the Farm pizza night. You can find dates and details on our website.

Until next week. Enjoy those first shares!

Your farmer,
Zach

P.S. A quick note to those of you who opted for the payment plan: the second installment will be charged soon. Thanks!