The growing season is officially over! Exhale.
We had a wonderful last few weeks as a team. One highlight was getting to spend a couple days helping out on other local farms (shout out to Rise & Root and Soul Fire). We also had lots of team meetings discussing 2021 systems improvements, coop development, crop planning, public programming and much more. Plus, we completed the final harvests for our local food access outlets, weatherized and cleaned up the farm and tackled other end of year infrastructure projects.
On our last day this past Friday, we celebrated with a hike up Mt. Riga, just behind our farm. At its peak, you can see our whole field, so we spoke heartfelt intentions into the sky above to wish us well next year. We then took a quick and life giving plunge in our quarry and had an incredibly sweet evening of good food, fire and the bursting laughter of tackling a chocolate filled piñata!
It was an intense season, weighted with the stress of keeping us all safe and healthy. Of numerous pivots as a business. Of intentional grappling with how we can deepen our commitment to BIPOC lives, farmers and community members. A year of leaning on each other, celebrating each other, and challenging each other to show up everyday with honesty and respect for both ourselves and the land.
Before we jump into the ambitious tasks ahead of us, we want to take a beat to uplift some big accomplishments from this season.
57% of our TOTAL FOOD GROWN was distributed to low-income communities
80% increase in fully subsidized “solidarity shares”, compared to 2019
4340 boxed veg shares for food relief, which translates to . . .
. . . 52,000 nutrient-dense meals
. . . and roughly 35,000 pounds of produce!
We also collaborated with 19 community orgs, including developing 7 brand new partnerships this year.
We provided 300+ individual hours of in-house training & development for our LGBTQ+, multi-racial farm team.
We continued to regenerate our 12+ acres, with practices proven to sequester carbon, while increasing soil health and biodiversity.
Click here to view our 2020 Impact Report as a PDF.
These are huge wins that would not have been possible without the support of this community.
Whether you made a donation to our Food Access Fund, received weekly shares as a CSA member, or just followed along with our email newsletters or social media posts — THANK YOU for all the ways you have supported, participated in, and strengthened our work.
Ultimately, 2020 has amplified something we’ve always known to be true:
As farmers, our daily work confronts the most pressing issues we face as a collective – climate, racism, health, poverty, equity, and policy. It’s all wrapped up in food, land, and labor.
That’s why — beyond the hard work of growing vegetables — our social justice mission centers on four key issues: FOOD ACCESS, REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE, FARMER ADVOCACY & TRAINING, and COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
For the next four weeks, we’re going to tackle each of these focus issues in more depth — so stay tuned for stories, stats and a level of transparency that is rarely visible to consumers and funders alike.
These letters will be part of our year-end fundraising campaign — as we embark on hefty and critical goals for 2021! We’re excited to uplift the progress underway and invite you into a bold vision for the year ahead.
Regardless of whether you are able to contribute financially, we hope this series will bring you into deeper connection with these collective issues and inspire you for the path ahead.
Join us! Here are 3 ways to get involved today:
If you are in a position to make year-end giving decisions, we’d be honored if you’d consider supporting our continued work towards food and justice for all. Make a tax deductible donation to our 2021 Food Access Fund right here.
Become a CSA member, to receive a weekly share of veggies throughout the 2021 season. We offer sliding scale pricing, flexible payment plans, and pick up locations throughout New York City and on our farm upstate. Click here for all the details for CSA 2021!
Know someone who might be interested in our work? Forward this email, and encourage them to subscribe to this email newsletter (on our website) and follow us on insta (@rocksteadyfarm) for updates. Spread the word!
Lastly, if you would like to apply for free or reduced cost food next year, submit a request form for a 2021 Solidarity Share right here.
Together, we can imagine and move towards a new paradigm in the food system, that respects all humans and our planet, as well as the farmers who care for both.
In solidarity,
Maggie, D, Hannah, Mika, Rica, Kyle, Lisa and Amara
