Rock Steady Farm is a queer* and trans led multiracial worker cooperative.
→ We grow culturally meaningful foods,
→ Train Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (QTBIPOC) farmers, AND
→ Catalyze structural and political change in the food system.
We center QTBIPOC farmers in our work to build a liberatory future.
*Queer for us contains and includes multitudes of identities and expressions – lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, intersex, transgender and all expressions of our gender rebel siblings, including those who identify as gender non-conforming, non-binary and two-spirit.
OUR WHY:
EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO HIGH QUALITY FOOD; our business model is rooted in food access and social justice.
LGBTQ+ AND BIPOC FARMERS SHOULD THRIVE; we are addressing and dismantling the web of barriers they face through training, support, and advocacy.
WE’RE FACING THE URGENCY AND THREATS OF OUR CLIMATE CRISES; we steward the land with sustainable, regenerative agriculture practices.
OUR CSA
Our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) feeds our local upstate neighbors as well as our New York City community. We offer weekly vegetable shares, plus egg, fruit, meat, cheese and yogurt share options from neighboring farms. Sliding scale pricing, fundraising and strong community partnerships ensure our food reaches people across all income levels and lived experiences.
FOOD ACCESS
Each year, we distribute tens of thousands of free and subsidized produce and other foods to community members facing food insecurity, including seniors, families with young children, and people living with serious health concerns (HIV/AIDS, diabetes and cancer). If you’re able, consider making a contribution today. If you’d like to apply for a share, click below to learn more and submit a request.
FARMER PROGRAMS
As QTBIPOC farmers ourselves, our programs are designed to meet the specific needs of QTBIPOC farmers at every stage. Locally and across the globe, we reach farmers through our POLLINATE! Apprenticeship, work placements, tractor training retreats, technical assistance, incubation support, workshops, work days, skill shares, open-source cooperative documents and technical guides.
ADVOCACY & PARTNERSHIPS
Everything we do is deeply rooted in our community: We build power by developing deeply relational collaborations and collective infrastructure in service of QTBIPOC-led foodways. Our advocacy aims to dismantle the structural, financial and political barriers that QTBIPOC beginner farmers face, particularly in rural spaces — and also to protect our communities and our work from emerging sociopolitical threats.
