Brookfield Farm

Author: Roisin Kirby

Short Summary

Brookfield Farm is a 120-acre vegetable farm in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was the third CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm established in the U.S. and has been operating for more than thirty years. Farming practices used on this farm are drawn from Biodynamic Agriculture, a holistic framework that views farms as living systems. Brookfield Farm applies self-governing commoning practices in both their agricultural production and their educational programming.

Website address: https://www.brookfieldfarm.org/

Location: Amherst, MA, USA

General Managers: Kerry Taylor and Max Taylor

Logo. source

Profile

The commons here is the farm’s CSA and their sharing of food knowledge–knowledge as commons. Brookfield Farm interrupts the enclosures of the mainstream US food system and celebrates sustainably grown food in a student-centered, relational, space based, hands-on intergenerational learning setting. They are commoning the food system by creating intergenerational farm education community space. Their commoning practice consists of apprenticeship programming as well as farm-to-school/school-to-farm education. They have one to five apprentices a year. The nature of this project is to be an educational farm that feeds the local community with food, knowledge and empowerment. Farmer Leila works with 41 schools in the Amherst area. She works with over 750 students a year and supports teachers in developing curriculum to weave in farm education.

Another example of commoning can be observed on Brookfield Farm. Brookfield Farm offers a CSA. Within the CSA model, folks receive a farm share through purchasing a membership. Brookfield Farm aims to make membership accessible through requiring a low cost deposit followed by the ability to create a personalized payment plan. The Community Supported Agriculture model is an example of commoning because folks pool their financial resources to support food being grown on a large scale, in an environmentally mindful way. Shareholders are the financial investors that support the practices of engaging with the land in holistic ways.

Brookfield Farm’s mission statement: “We believe that you and your family deserve the highest quality food and that's why we use environmentally sustainable growing techniques. We use no synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers of any kind. We see our farm as a living system, where its elements work together to build and maintain soil fertility. Through a balanced crop rotation and a generous composting and cover cropping system, we leave our land better than we found it.” (source)

Governance

The Biodynamic Farmland Conservation Trust was created by Claire and David Fortier in 1986 with the intention of protecting from development in the future. Another intention of the creation of this non profit was to expand the mission of Brookfield Farm and solidify the intention of offering education for farmers. The farm is governed by the managers, assistant manager but the Biodynamic Farmland Conservation Trust is the overarching decision maker of the farm. The Biodynamic Farmland Conservation Trust is led by a Board of Trustees.

In 1989, the Town of Amherst bought the development rights to the land of Brookfield Farm. This ensures the land will be kept for agricultural use only.

The Brookfield Farm CSA is another example of governance within the organization. Folks who pay into the CSA are major contributors to growing the farm by joining the farm as members and purchasing a farm share. The more shares bought, the more food is grown. One can never count on a good growing season. There are just as many uncertainties as there are certainties when it comes to farming. Working with the land and weather can be unpredictable. The costs of running Brookfield Farm are not only supported by the Farm Store but also by the CSA. The CSA model allows many people to share the cost of running the farm. The cost is not only shared, but the risks associated with farming are shared as well.

Projects

  • Apprenticeship program: Brookfield Farm is host to a popular apprenticeship program where folks are offered an immersive agricultural education experience. Apprentices engage with all aspects of the farm from food production, administrative duties and marketing. After their time training, apprentices leave Brookfield Farm equipped with the knowledge of how to run their own organic/biodynamic farm. It is worth noting that Brookfield Farm offers housing to their apprentices.
  • Educational programming for students: Brookfield Farm offers Farm to School & School to Farm educational programming for local Amherst youth. Youth from surrounding schools come to the farm and experience fun, hands-on learning activities, facilitated by Farmer Leila. The lessons on the farm weave concepts from the classroom into real-life experiences.
  • Solar power: Brookfield Farm has equipped the roofs of some of the buildings with solar panels, which meet about 70% of the farm’s energy needs.

Friends & Partners

  • Local Amherst public schools: They provide educational farm-based programming for youth
  • University of Massachusetts Amherst: College students visit the farm for agricultural education lessons

Finances

Brookfield Farm’s income comes from its CSA and farm shop.

Origin Story

Before 1976, the land was owned by the Shaw family. Like other landowners in the area, the Shaw family used this land for hay and firewood. Claire and David Fortier bought the land in 1976 and began Fortier Farm. Four years later Ian and Nicki Robb were hired to manage the farm.

The farm evolved into a 4-acre market garden and the name was changed to Brookfield Farm. In 1987, the Biodynamic Farmland Conservation Trust, Inc. was created and became responsible for running the farm enterprise. In 1989, the Town of Amherst purchased the development rights to the land Brookfield Farm stands on, preserving the land for agricultural use only. Dan Kaplan was hired as manager in 1995.

In recent years, Kerry and Max Taylor have been managing the farm. They were selected by the Biodynamic Farmland Conservation Trust.

See Also

  • Other commons categories that are related to this one's, or specific similar examples

Sources